Children of the Dark - Year 7
by cleotheo
Summary: It's seventh year and the trio are entering their last year at Hogwarts. With the dark in control and the Order all but defeated, things should be plain sailing for Hermione, Draco and Harry. But their final year of school, will be just like the previous six - full of adventure and excitement. Seventh and final part of a seven part story. Dark Hermione! Dark Harry!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – First, welcome to the final year of COTD. I will still be adding to the collection, so even when this year finishes, I've still got more to tell about what happens next, as well as going back and dealing with the past and scenes that didn't make it into the final stories. I did hope to have year 7 finished before I started to post it, but I've gotten a bit distracted lately with some other stories, so I'm still working on the end. Until it's finished, updates will be on Monday and Friday.**

 **Secondly, you might remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned that two of my stories had been nominated and reached the finals of the "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Fall 2016 Dramione Fanfiction Awards. I got a message overnight to say both my stories had won first place in their respective categories.**

 **First Place: Best Mystery/Crime Fic for Femme Fatale.**  
 **First Place: Best Potions/Spell Accident Fic for Future Adventures.**

 **I want to thank everyone who took the time to go and vote for my stories. It was such an honour to even be nominated, and I honestly didn't think I stood a chance of winning. I'm so thrilled, and it really does make the negativity I've encountered this year easier to deal with. It's great to know I've got so many fans – so thank you all once again for supporting me and my stories.**

* * *

The first few weeks of the summer holidays were filled with wedding preparations for the upcoming wedding of Severus Snape and his fiancée, Rosmerta. Even though it was just going to be a quiet family wedding, there was still plenty to sort and organise. Severus's stepmother, Beth Granger, and Narcissa Malfoy, helped Rosmerta with the majority of the arrangements and together the three witches soon had everything running smoothly.

While the women were busy with their arrangements, Severus was tasked with sorting clothes for him and his son, Harry, who was also going to be the best man. Harry also had his speech to prepare, and he'd sought help from his best friend, Draco Malfoy, while Severus had his closest friend, Lucius Malfoy, on hand to offer him advice.

The men weren't the only ones with clothes to sort as one of the priorities for the women was Rosmerta's wedding dress. At the same time as getting her wedding dress, Rosmerta also wanted to get the bridesmaid's dresses sorted. Rosmerta had asked Severus's sister, Hermione, to be her bridesmaid along with Harry's girlfriend, Daphne Greengrass.

Hermione had been thrilled to be asked to be bridesmaid, and she'd been pleased that Daphne had been included as well. On the day they went to get their bridesmaid dresses, Hermione and Daphne had a great time and they helped Rosmerta pick out beautiful lilac gowns. Rosmerta herself went for a simple, sweeping floor length ivory dress with a matching beaded shrug.

"You look stunning Rosmerta," Beth gushed as her future daughter-in-law modelled the dress.

"It's not too young looking?" Rosmerta checked.

"No, it's lovely," Hermione assured the older witch. "In fact, it's perfect."

"It really is," Narcissa added. "Severus won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

"Not to mention his hands," Beth interjected with a mischievous chuckle.

"I remember my wedding day," Narcissa said with a wistful sigh. "Lucius was like a man possessed when he saw me in my gown. He spent the entire reception trying to sneak me away to unwrap me."

"Did he manage it?" Rosmerta asked.

"Sadly, no," Narcissa replied. "We had a big wedding, and there was too many guests for us to sneak off. He had to wait until our wedding night. Although he did make up for the wait. To this day, it's still the most sex I've ever had in one night."

"Nothing beats wedding night sex," Beth agreed with a knowing nod.

"Can we please stop talking about sex?" Hermione whined with a grimace. She wasn't exactly a prude, but considering she was with her mother, her brother's fiancée and her boyfriend's mother, it was a conversation she wanted to have.

"Don't worry Hermione, your time will come," Rosmerta remarked with a light laugh.

"It's already came," Beth remarked, giving her daughter a knowing look.

"Mum," Hermione hissed, turning red with embarrassment.

"We all know about your relationship, Hermione," Beth told her daughter. "It's no secret that last year you were in bed with Draco when you collapsed."

"I am an adult," Hermione retorted. "And Draco and I are serious about each other."

"I know you are sweetheart," Beth said. "I just hope you're remembering to be careful."

"Yes, we're being careful," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"Good, none of us want to be grandparents just yet," Narcissa said.

"Not when some of us are about to become mothers again," Beth said, resting her hands on her still flat stomach.

"But you're already a grandmother," Hermione pointed out. "Or does Harry not count anymore?"

"Of course Harry counts," Beth replied. "But that's different, he's Severus's son and Severus is a fully grown wizard. I think we're all in agreement that you and Draco are too young to be having children."

"Damn right we are," Hermione agreed. "There will be no children from us for a few years yet."

"That's good to know," Narcissa said, smiling at Hermione before turning back to Rosmerta. "And just when are you planning on having children, Rosmerta?"

"As soon as possible," Rosmerta replied excitedly. "We've agreed to start trying, so I've stopped taking the contraceptive potion. Hopefully we'll have another baby in the family before too long."

"What about the pub? Are you selling up?" Narcissa asked.

"Not just yet," Rosmerta answered. "I've hired a manager for the summer, while we plan the wedding and Severus and I are on honeymoon. If all goes well, I might keep him on, although in the future I do think I could end up selling the pub."

"Just don't tell Blaise, he would snap your hand off for a pub," Daphne chuckled. "He's always saying how much fun it would be to run a pub of some sort."

"It's actually just the sort of thing you could imagine Blaise doing, isn't it?" Hermione chuckled.

"It is," Daphne agreed.

"Well, I'm not selling anytime soon, so Blaise can keep his hands off my pub," Rosmerta joked. "Right now, my focus is on my wedding. Since the dresses are sorted, we need to think about the cake. We need to make final choices on flavourings and decorations."

"Does this mean we get to have cake this afternoon?" Hermione asked with a grin.

"More than likely samples will be on offer," Rosmerta replied.

"Great," Hermione said, already looking forward to cake.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with wedding preparations, including sorting the wedding cake. Once the preparations had been finished for the day, Rosmerta headed off home to have dinner with Severus and Harry, while Beth dropped Daphne off home before she, Hermione and Voldemort headed to the manor for dinner.

Since Severus and Rosmerta weren't at dinner, the wedding wasn't mentioned too much, meaning one of the main topics of conversation with Beth's pregnancy. Hermione was still coming to terms with the fact her parents were having another child, and while she was mostly excited by the prospect of getting a little brother or sister, there was still times when it was hard to believe her parents had ended up pregnant. After all, who wanted to think about their parents having sex?

"Fancy a walk?" Draco asked Hermione once dinner was over and their parents moved into the living room.

"A walk sounds great," Hermione replied with a smile. Even though they wouldn't leave the grounds of the manor, they could still have a romantic moonlit stroll.

"We're off for a walk," Draco informed their parents.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Lucius warned with a smirk.

"Anything goes then," Draco shot back.

Leaving their parents chuckling behind them, Draco and Hermione headed out into the back garden of the manor. Despite the fact their parents were in the front living room, the manor was still lit up brightly, and it cast a wonderful light over the vast gardens of the manor.

"I really love this place," Hermione remarked as Draco took hold of her hand.

"We do have beautiful gardens," Draco replied, leading his girlfriend down towards the rose gardens.

"I just love the whole manor," Hermione said.

"Angling to be lady of the manor, one day, are you?" Draco joked.

"I might be," Hermione replied with a cheeky smile. "Do I stand a chance?"

"You might do," Draco responded, grinning back at his girlfriend.

As the couple shared a tender moment in the rose gardens, they were completely unaware of a pair of beady yellow eyes watching them from beyond the boundary line of the manor. In fact they were so caught up in each other as they continued their walk, they didn't notice the eyes following them. Nor did they notice the full moon hovering ominously overhead.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Remus Lupin stalked through the shadows along the boundary line of Malfoy Manor in his wolf form. For the first time since he'd been turned into a werewolf as a child, Remus was allowing himself to knowingly hunt humans. Not that he was after any human, he was after a member of The Dark Lord's family. If he'd stopped to think, Remus may have chosen a different course of action, but since events at Grimmauld Place, he'd been running on anger. He'd been so caught up in grief that all he could think about was striking back at the dark and taking someone they loved away from them like they'd taken Tonks away from him.

Normally in his wolf form, Remus had no connection with his human mind, but as he stalked Draco and Hermione, his thoughts were crystal clear. After a few weeks studying the manor, he knew he couldn't break the wards in his human form, but he'd witnessed countless animals pass across the boundary lines without incident. Therefore, if he found an opportunity to strike, he was fairly sure he could get onto the property and off again before anyone from inside the manor even realised he'd been there.

Ten minutes later the opportunity to get to Hermione presented itself when the young witch wandered precariously close to the boundary line. For the first time all night, Hermione had left Draco's side as she walked over to a nearby bench. Waiting until Hermione's back was to him and she was about to sit down, Remus pounced.

Remus rushed over the boundary line in a flurry of brown fur, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. While the move took Hermione totally by surprise, Draco was facing Remus as he came into sight. Without thinking of the consequences, Draco launched himself at his girlfriend, knocking her to the ground just as Remus landed where Hermione had been sitting.

In full flight, Remus was unable to change course when Draco got in his way, and as a result his teeth sunk into the blond's neck as he threw himself on top of his girlfriend. Draco's pained cry reached Hermione's ears before her eyes registered what was going on. When she did see the brown fur and sharp teeth on top of her boyfriend, she instantly knew she was looking at Remus Lupin in his wolf form.

"Draco," Hermione screeched, scrambling out from underneath her now prone boyfriend and dislodging Remus as she did so.

Before she had a chance to check on Draco, Hermione found herself face to face with a snarling werewolf. Idly she noticed how scrawny and uncared for Remus looked, as well as how his wolf form was a bizarre mix of human and wolf. Even though she'd seen pictures of werewolves, she thought Remus looked more of a mixture than any picture she'd ever seen. It was like he was both wolf and man, and as he looked at her, Hermione knew he wanted to kill her. His hate was emanating off him in waves and Hermione was right in his line of fire. Shakily she reached for her wand, just as Remus pounced with a low growl.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Conversation in the front room of Malfoy Manor was brought to an abrupt halt as a shimmering light began to pulsate around the walls of the room. Everyone in the room knew the light was a signal to say the wards around the manor had been breached, but only Lucius and Narcissa were attuned to the wards to know where the breach had occurred. Beth and Voldemort assumed the breach had happened at the front of the property, with someone trying to enter the manor, but Lucius and Narcissa gave them a shock by jumping to their feet.

"The back garden," Narcissa gasped.

"Hermione and Draco," Beth cried, jumping to her feet.

Before Narcissa or Beth had a chance to move, Lucius and Voldemort had torn out of the room and flew towards the back of the manor. Moving at lightning speed the two wizards sprinted out of the house and into the back gardens. Voldemort let Lucius take the lead and he followed the other wizard as he ran down the garden to where the wards had been breached.

As they emerged from the rose gardens, Voldemort saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Draco was sprawled unmoving on the floor, while Hermione was also on the floor, but sitting on top of her was a wolf like creature, his jaws inches from her neck as she tried her best to keep him off her.

"Hermione!" Voldemort flew past Lucius, his wand out as he shot curse after curse at the creature on top of his daughter.

One of the spells hit the wolf, causing him to howl in pain. Jumping off Hermione, he gave Voldemort a cold stare, before loping off into the shadows, limping slightly. Voldemort threw a few more hexes at the wolf, hoping he would hit him again, as he ran towards his daughter, Lucius hot on his heels.

"Hermione," Voldemort cried. "Are you okay?"

"Draco," Hermione gasped, rolling over and crawling over to her boyfriend. "Please don't let him be dead," She whispered, cradling his head in her hands.

As Hermione clutched at Draco, Lucius and Voldemort spotted the bloody gash on his neck. Exchanging worried glances, the pair surged forward and pulled Hermione away from Draco. Hermione protested at first, kicking and screaming at her father to let her go, but she soon stilled as her boyfriend's body began to vibrate and ever so slowly his human form disappeared and in its place lay an unmoving pale grey wolf. Only unlike Remus, who was half wolf half human, Draco had turned into a full blown wolf.

"Is he dead?" Hermione whispered, tears dripping from her eyes.

"I don't know," Lucius answered shakily as he looked at the wolf lying where his son had been only moments earlier.

Just at that moment, Narcissa and Beth arrived at the scene. Beth instantly ran over to her daughter, while Narcissa's face crumpled in confusion when she didn't see Draco. However, it didn't take her long to work out where Draco was as she followed her husband's haunted gaze to the prone wolf.

"No!" She wailed, collapsing to her knees. "Draco!"

"Is he dead?" Beth asked softly, repeating her daughter's earlier question.

"We don't know," Voldemort replied.

Making sure Beth had hold of a sobbing Hermione, Voldemort cautiously stepped forward. Kneeling down beside the wolf that was Draco, he kept his wand in his hand as he examined the wolf.

"He's still breathing, but it's pretty shallow," He informed Lucius, who had moved to stand behind him. "We need to get him in the house, but we need to restrain him."

"You can't do that, he's hurt," Hermione cried.

"We know that sweetheart, but at the minute he's also dangerous," Beth said gently, hugging her daughter. "If he wakes up he could slaughter us all without knowing what he's doing."

"Your parents are right, he needs to be secured," Lucius said. "We will treat his injuries, but we have to be sure no-one else will get hurt this evening."

Hermione nodded, blinking back the tears as she watched her father and Lucius get to work on making sure Draco was safe to be around. Numbly she followed everyone when they went back into the manor, wondering where everything had gone wrong. One minute she and Draco were enjoying a nice romantic stroll around the gardens, now her boyfriend was a werewolf and their lives were forever changed.

* * *

 **A/N 2 – I didn't want to mention my other point earlier on as I didn't want to spoil the chapter, but I just want to say how I'm going to be handling the werewolf thing. This is going to be very much my version of werewolf lore, so not everything will tally with the actual books (In fact, I don't think much of it will to be honest). So any reviews complaining about how the werewolves in this story don't match the ones in the actual books will be ignored. I've got my own vision on werewolves, and that is what I will be exploring throughout this year.**


	2. Chapter 2

The direct aftermath of the attack was a bit of a blur for Hermione. Draco was moved inside and her father and Lucius settled him in one of the rarely used rooms of the ground floor of the manor. While the two wizards were making sure Draco couldn't hurt anyone if he woke up, Beth insisted on checking Hermione over. Hermione was adamant she was fine, after all if she'd also been bitten she would also be a wolf, but even so her mother still checked that she wasn't badly injured.

All the time Beth was checking her out, Hermione's eyes remained glued to Draco, or rather the wolf he'd turned into. She was still struggling to come to terms with what had happened, especially since nothing seemed quite like what she'd read about werewolves. She'd never ever read that a person bitten on the full moon would transform that night, nor had she ever read about anyone turning into a full blown wolf. In everything she'd read, a werewolf was pretty much a wolf-human hybrid, very much like Remus had been. However, here was Draco lying here looking like a natural wild wolf.

"Is he okay?" Narcissa anxiously asked her husband as he and Voldemort backed away from Draco after spending nearly an hour working on his injures.

"We think so," Lucius replied. "His breathing has improved, and we've dealt with the bite to his neck."

"So why's he still asleep?" Narcissa questioned.

"We're not sure," Lucius admitted. "We're not experts on werewolves."

"But I do know someone who is," Voldemort added. "First thing in the morning, I'll send for him."

"Why not do it now?" Hermione demanded. "Draco needs help now."

"I can't send for him now, as he's also a werewolf and knowing Greyback he'll be out somewhere enjoying himself in wolf form," Voldemort told his daughter.

"Greyback, as in Fenrir Greyback the notorious werewolf?" Hermione questioned. Even though she'd never met the man in question, she'd heard about him and she knew his reputation as a ferocious werewolf.

Voldemort nodded. "Yes. He can help Draco through this."

"Can anyone help him?" Narcissa whispered in a broken voice. "We all know how werewolves are treated in our world. Draco will be an outcast. His life is ruined forever."

"That needn't be the case," Voldemort said. "I think we should inform Severus and Harry of the situation, but other than that I suggest this news doesn't spread any further. We will be the only ones who need know about Draco's condition."

"Is that feasible?" Lucius asked with a frown. "Can we really send him back to Hogwarts with no-one aware of his condition? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, everyone kicked up a fuss about Lupin in third year," Hermione agreed. "I'd hate to see Draco be treated like that."

"Let's wait and see what Greyback has to say, but this really isn't anything like the Remus Lupin situation," Voldemort said.

"Speaking of Lupin, I do hope he's going to be dealt with," Beth said with a snarl. "He attacked Draco and then tried to attack Hermione."

"Actually, he attacked me first," Hermione said in a quiet voice. "Draco spotted him, and he dove on top of me. Draco's transformation was an accident, he was trying to get me. Draco is a werewolf because of me."

"No, he's a werewolf because of the monster that attacked you," Lucius said firmly. "Don't blame yourself Hermione, because I can guarantee Draco won't blame you. I know my son, and I'm sure he would much rather be the one cursed with lycanthropy than you have to suffer that fate."

"And no-one needs to worry about Lupin, I will deal with him," Voldemort promised. "I can get Greyback to track him down and dispose of him."

"And what about Draco?" Hermione asked, looking over to where she could have sworn she spotted the wolf moving. "He'll be like this forever, won't he?"

"There's no cure for lycanthropy," Lucius said sadly. "So yes, Draco will be a werewolf for the rest of his life."

Just as Lucius finished speaking, the wolf opened its eyes and Hermione found herself staring into a pair of crystal blue eyes. For a moment she thought she spotted a glimpse of Draco in the eyes, but just as suddenly the wolf's eyes darkened and with a low growl it sprung to its feet. Thanks to the spells Lucius and Voldemort had cast on Draco, the wolf was unable to move out of a small circle that had been traced on the floor around him. However that didn't stop him from growling and baring his teeth at the assembled group.

"Draco," Hermione whispered, taking a few steps forward only to be greeted with another low growl from the wolf her boyfriend had turned into.

"It's no use, Hermione," Voldemort said softly. "He doesn't recognise you, he doesn't recognize any of us."

"Will it always be this way?" Narcissa asked, swiping at a few tears that had leaked out of her eyes.

"I'm no expert, but I don't think so," Voldemort replied. "I've spoken with Greyback about his condition a few times, and I know when he's in wolf form he knows exactly what's what and who's who. Although, I have heard it said that a werewolf regains no memory of their very first transformation."

"So Draco won't remember this?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so," Voldemort replied. "But as I said, I'm no expert. Greyback will be able to answer all of our questions tomorrow."

"And for tonight?" Hermione questioned.

"For tonight, we watch Draco and ensure he doesn't escape," Voldemort replied. "It's one thing to kill knowingly, but it could destroy him if he escaped and killed someone without realising it."

"I can keep an eye on him," Lucius said, pulling out a chair and settling himself down near to where Draco was angrily pacing the floor, trying to find a way out of the magic circle.

"I'm not leaving either," Hermione said, joining Lucius in his vigil.

"I don't think anyone is going anywhere," Beth said as Narcissa joined her husband.

"If it's okay, I will just go and let Severus and Harry know what's going on," Voldemort said, looking towards Lucius.

"That's a good idea," Lucius said with a nod.

While Voldemort went off to speak to his son and grandson, Beth sat down next to Narcissa and took her friend's hand in hers. Less than five minutes later, Voldemort returned with a worried looking Severus and Harry. Rosmerta was also with them, and she rushed straight over to Narcissa, while Voldemort and Lucius explained what had happened.

"How did Lupin get past the boundary wards?" Severus asked with a frown as he watched his godson in his new wolf form.

"He was in his animal form, so clearly that had something to do with it," Lucius replied. "The wards don't protect from animals since we live in the middle of the country. However, his human side triggered the wards, alerting us to his presence. First thing in the morning, I need to alter the wards to stop something like this happening again."

"I'll help you," Severus offered.

Lucius gave his friend a weak smile, before refocusing on his son. Within a few moments, the room was silent aside from the sound of Draco's annoyed growls and the sound of his padded paws pacing the wooden floor, looking for an escape route. One by one everyone in the room drifted off to sleep, until it was just Draco and Hermione left awake.

"This won't change anything," Hermione whispered to the wolf, who was glaring at her with his crystal blue eyes. "I love you, and we'll get through this together."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Draco slowly blinked open his eyes, his body aching and just generally feeling groggy. When he stretched and went to roll over, he frowned when he felt a hard floor beneath his body. Sitting up, he blinked in surprise to find himself stretched, completely naked, on the floor in one of the rarely used rooms on the ground floor of the manor. Just as he was puzzling over what had happened, he spotted the chairs across the room containing his sleeping friends and family. His parents were there, along with Harry, Hermione, Hermione's parents and Severus and Rosmerta.

"What the hell?" He demanded loudly, jolting the group awake.

"Draco," Narcissa cried happily the second her eyes were open.

It was until his mother was half way across the room to him, that Draco realised he was naked and had given the entire room a flash of his goods. Whirling around, and treating the group to a flash of his backside, Draco grabbed one of the nearby curtains and yanking it from the wall he wrapped the dusty green material around his waist like a sarong.

"Just what is going on here?" Draco asked, moving towards his mother only to find himself stopped by an invisible barrier.

"Do you remember last night?" Lucius asked his son.

Draco frowned as he tried to recall the previous evening. He could remember dinner with his parents and Hermione's family, and then he and Hermione had gone for a walk in the grounds. Draco could recall the conversation he and Hermione had about her becoming the lady of the manor one day, but after that things got fuzzy. As he concentrated, he began to get images of a wild animal launching itself at Hermione, and himself trying to protect her.

"Something attacked us," Draco finally said, even though he couldn't quite get a fix on what animal had attacked. "I think I stopped it mauling Hermione."

"You did," Hermione replied, giving her boyfriend a grateful smile. "But instead of me, it got you."

At Hermione's words, Draco's hand instinctively reached for his neck. Even though he couldn't feel any scarring, he could now remember sharp fangs burrowing into his neck. He could remember the intense pain, that had seemed to flow throughout his body, before everything went black and try as he might, he just couldn't recall anything else from the previous evening.

"What attacked?" He asked in a hollow voice as his hand remained clamped to his neck.

"Not what, who," Hermione said in a whisper. "It was Lupin, and last night was a full moon."

Draco's eyes widened at Hermione's words and at the implications, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor with a whimper. Instantly, Hermione pulled out her wand and lowering the protective circle around her boyfriend, she ran to him and wrapped him in her arms.

"It's okay," She soothed.

"It's not okay," Draco snarled, angrily pushing Hermione away from him as he jumped to his feet and backed away from everyone. "You need to stay away from me, all of you. I'm dangerous and not safe to be around."

"You're not dangerous, Draco," Narcissa told her son as she stepped forward with Lucius. "This changes nothing."

"It changes everything, I'm a monster," Draco spat, tears pooling in his grey eyes.

"No," Hermione snapped as she got to her feet and advanced on her boyfriend. "You're not a monster," She insisted as she grabbed hold of Draco's face and forced him to look at her. "I won't lie, Draco, this isn't going to be easy. Everything has changed, for all of us. But you are still you, and we all still love you."

"You shouldn't," Draco whispered shakily. "I might hurt you, Hermione. You need to stay away from me. I couldn't cope if I hurt you."

"The only way you could hurt me is to push me away," Hermione replied quietly. "Please don't do that, Draco. Don't push me away. Let me help you, let us all help you."

"I'm scared," Draco confessed in a small voice.

"I know baby, we're all scared," Hermione replied, pulling Draco into her arms and burying her head in his shoulder as she began to cry softly.

"Perhaps we should give you some space," Rosmerta suggested. "I think Draco needs some time to come to terms with things."

"I think so too," Voldemort agreed. "I'll speak to Greyback, and we can come and visit Draco later this afternoon."

"Are you coming, Hermione?" Beth asked her daughter, who was still standing clinging onto Draco.

"No," Hermione answered, without turning around. "I'm staying with Draco."

"We'll be back later," Harry promised. Catching Draco's eye he gave his best friend a smile. "This doesn't change anything, Draco. You're still my best friend. You're going to have to do something more drastic than turning into a werewolf to get rid of me."

"Thanks, Harry," Draco whispered.

"Anytime," Harry replied, giving his best friend one final smile before he followed his father out of the room.

Lucius saw everyone out of the house, before returning to where his son was still standing in the room half naked and shaking from the revelations.

"Perhaps you should go and get dressed, Draco," He suggested softly. "Then we can talk."

"What's there to talk about?" Draco asked quietly. "Nothing can change this, can it? You can't cure me."

"No, I can't," Lucius admitted, his heart breaking for his son. "But together we can work out the best way to deal with your condition. This isn't the end of the world, Draco. We're all in this together, and you'll never be alone."

As he left the room to go and get dressed, Draco couldn't help but feel his father's words were wrong. Obviously, he appreciated the support his parents and everyone else was giving him, but Lucius was wrong. He was alone in this. He was the werewolf and it was his life that had been ruined. It didn't matter what anyone else said, this was something he would have to deal with alone, and nothing or no-one could help him.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite not having needed Greyback's services for years, Voldemort was still in touch with the werewolf and he was pleased when he showed up promptly once he'd sent a message asking for his assistance. Greyback was a tall athletic looking man who had a dangerous glint in his steely eyes. Settling down in his study, Voldemort offered Greyback a glass of firewhisky as he explained the situation.

"I have to admit I'm surprised," Greyback remarked, sipping on the amber liquid. "From everything I've heard about Lupin over the years he shuns other werewolves, and would never place himself near to any humans on a full moon."

"Things have changed," Voldemort replied. "He's now lost everything."

"Yes, I've been hearing how you're eradicating the people who oppose you," Greyback said.

"Is that a problem?" Voldemort questioned.

"Since I don't plan on opposing you, then no, it's not a problem," Greyback replied, flashing Voldemort his sharp teeth. Even in his human form there was still something animalistic about the wizard.

"Back to Lupin," Voldemort said. "I take it you can track him down easily enough?"

"That I can," Greyback confirmed with a smirk. "I can track almost any werewolf, but especially those I created."

"Ah yes, it was you that cursed Lupin wasn't it?" Voldemort said.

"Some would call it a curse, I call it a calling," Greyback answered with a shrug of his large shoulders. "But yes, I turned him. His father, an arrogant bastard if ever there was one, made the mistake of insulting me and other werewolves. He thought we were beneath other wizards and he wanted us all to be rounded up and tagged like animals. Given his low opinions on werewolves, I decided to teach him a lesson by turning his own child into something he detested."

"Such viciousness," Voldemort said, a hint of admiration in his voice. He did so love to interact with people as cold and ruthless as he was. "And it's that sense of viciousness I need from you, Greyback. I want you to track Lupin down and dispose of him."

"I can have my fun first though?" Greyback questioned.

"Of course," Voldemort replied with a smirk.

"Consider it sorted," Greyback promised. "He won't be bothering you again."

"Thank you," Voldemort said. "But I also need another favour. I want you to come to the manor with me and talk to Draco. He needs to know what's in store for him."

"I'll talk to him, and if he wants, I can be around to help him adjust to his new state," Greyback offered. "But as for what's in store for him, that's entirely in his hands. How things progress from here very much depends on if he's going to accept his condition."

"What if he doesn't accept it?" Voldemort asked. "What if he fights?"

"Then I'm no use to him," Greyback replied with an inelegant snort. "I can't help him fight the lycanthropy. I won't help him fight it. It's a part of who he is now, and it's going to be better for him if he can accept it. If he can, I can help. If not, he's on his own."

"Not totally on his own, he's still got his family and my daughter. Hermione won't leave him," Voldemort said.

"If he doesn't accept this, I would make her leave him," Greyback advised. "If he fights, he's going to end up a loser like Lupin and other pathetic werewolves who try and fight the supposed curse. I don't know your daughter, but I would suspect the child of the darkest wizard of our time deserves more than a loser too afraid to embrace his inner animal."

"Draco's many things, but a loser isn't one of them," Voldemort said, taking in what Greyback was telling him and hoping he didn't have to intervene and separate Draco and Hermione. "I'm sure he'll accept his new life."

"Here's hoping," Greyback said as he threw back the remainder of his firewhisky. "A wizard who embraces his inner wolf can be a handy ally."

"I already know that, Greyback," Voldemort replied with a low chuckle. Even though he used Greyback's services sporadically, he was already thinking about how useful it would be to have Draco onside if he accepted his wolf nature. "Now, shall we go and see Draco?"

"Let's," Greyback replied as the two men got to their feet, and after joining up with Beth they headed to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Draco stared at his reflection in the mirror above his sink. He was looking for signs that he was now a werewolf, but he found none. Thinking back to third year, he remembered reading about how the day after a full moon a werewolf would be tired and too mentally exhausted to function properly. However, he wasn't tired and he certainly didn't look exhausted. True, his mental state was a bit shaky, but that was only to be expected given what had happened to him. But on the surface, he looked exactly the same. It was as though nothing had changed.

However, things had changed and Draco knew his life wouldn't ever be the same again. All morning his parents had been trying to convince him that his condition wouldn't ruin his life, but he hadn't quite believed them. Most of the time it sounded as though they were just trying to convince themselves that his life wasn't ruined. Even so, Draco was grateful for their support and deep down he would need his parents and Hermione if he was going to survive being a werewolf. Fortunately, no-one was planning on going anywhere and while there was certain things his family couldn't understand, he did know they were going to do their best to make sure his life wouldn't be too different.

Turning away from his reflection, Draco heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. Assuming it was Hermione, coming to let him know Greyback had arrived, Draco headed into the adjoining bedroom. However, his bedroom was empty and it was nearly a full minute before Hermione did enter the room.

"What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed Draco's frown.

"I heard you coming, but I thought you were in here," Draco explained. "I was in the bathroom, so I couldn't have heard you coming down the corridor outside."

"Maybe it's a wolf thing," Hermione suggested. "Animals do have superior hearing skills."

"Perhaps," Draco mused.

"Anyway, you can ask Greyback, he's just arrived with my parents," Hermione said. "Harry and Severus are also here with Rosmerta."

"Great, more people I have to face knowing they've seen me naked," Draco grumbled.

At the time, he'd been too shocked to really deal with the fact he'd been caught naked, but over the course of the morning his embarrassment had set in. It was bad enough his parents had seen him naked, something they hadn't done since he was a small child, but on top of that his girlfriend's parents had seen him, along with his godfather and his fiancée, and his best friend. Needless to say, Draco could have done without so many people knowing just what he looked like naked.

"Given what's going on, I don't think too many people are thinking about seeing you naked," Hermione said.

"I hope not," Draco said. "I think I would die of embarrassment if I thought your mother and Rosmerta were thinking about my naked body."

"As impressive as it is, I really don't think either of them were interested in what you had to offer," Hermione said with a smile before turning back to the matter in hand. "Are you ready? I can tell them we need more time if you want."

Draco shook his head stubbornly. "No. let's get down there. I need some answers, something that might make this whole things bearable."

Taking hold of Hermione's hand, Draco led the way from his bedroom and down to where everyone was gathered in the living room. Even when they entered the room, Draco kept hold of Hermione's hand, drawing comfort and support from just being in physical contact with her.

"Draco, this is Fenrir Greyback," Voldemort said, making the introductions. "Greyback, this is Draco."

"Nine to meet you Mr Greyback," Draco replied politely, studying the large wizard in front of him and noticing an aura of danger surrounding him.

"Greyback's fine," Greyback chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time someone called him by his first name, let alone Mr Greyback.

Draco and Hermione settled in the last two remaining seats as Narcissa summoned refreshments for everyone. Once everyone had their drinks and the elves had gone back to their other duties, talk turned to the reason for Greyback's visit, with Voldemort stressing how no-one outside of the room was to find out about Draco's situation.

"I'm guessing you have plenty of questions, Draco," Greyback began.

"I think we all do," Draco replied. "Especially since what we experienced last night was nothing like what we learnt about at school."

"Firstly, forget about anything you've ever learnt about werewolves," Greyback said with a snort. "Everything written down about werewolves comes from people who think it's a curse. The only werewolves they write about are the ones who fight their true nature and suffer for it."

"But everything we learnt fit perfectly with Remus Lupin," Hermione pointed out. "That's how we found out his secret."

"As I said, the werewolf lore if written about people like him, people who think it's nothing more than a curse to be struck down with lycanthropy," Greyback said.

"Is it not a curse?" Draco questioned.

"It is if you look upon it that way," Greyback answered. "But you can turn it around and look upon it as a calling. No-one asks to be a werewolf, but those who accept it can harness their hidden animal and reach their full potential. Don't look at this as a curse, Draco, look at it as an opportunity. He may not have intended it, but Remus Lupin has given you the chance to become something truly great and powerful."

"And what about the down sides to being a werewolf?" Draco asked. "You know how society treats werewolves."

"Society doesn't understand," Greyback retorted. "They're like everyone else, misinformed and believe everything they read."

"So if everything we've read is a lie, what's the truth about being a werewolf?" Hermione demanded.

Greyback smirked at the brunette witch, already liking her fire. Even if she wasn't the double of her mother, he would still be able to tell she was Voldemort's daughter. She had the dame fire The Dark Lord had, and he could tell she wasn't intimidated by anyone.

"Firstly, you've all seen what Draco's inner wolf looks like," Greyback said. "The first transformation is always a pure transformation."

"But Lupin didn't look like that," Hermione pointed out. "He was thin and sickly looking, although to be honest he's thin and sickly looking in his human form. But even as a wolf, he didn't look like an actual wolf, he was some sort of half creature. His still looked part human."

"And that is what werewolves who fight their nature look like," Greyback explained. "What they should look like, is a pure wolf. When I turn, I turn into a large, black wolf. In my wolf form, no-one knows I'm a werewolf. On a full moon, I am a wolf."

"Draco did look like a real wolf," Narcissa said softly.

"And as long as he doesn't fight it, that is what he'll look like every full moon," Greyback said.

"That's all very well, but I don't want to hurt anyone," Draco said. "I'll have no control when I'm a wolf."

"Now that's where you're wrong," Greyback corrected the young wizard. "It won't be easy, but as long as you don't fight it, you can get control in your wolf form. When I'm in my wolf form, I know exactly who I am and what I'm doing. I'm not a danger to anyone I don't want to hurt."

"And you can help me achieve that?" Draco asked sceptically. "You can help me control my wolf side so I can't hurt anyone?"

"It's not necessarily about controlling your wolf side, it's about embracing it," Greyback said. "You need to accept that being a wolf is part of your life. No taking this stupid Wolfsbane potion, no trying to hide your animal nature. You need to accept it and embrace it, even when you're in your human form."

"What do you mean, accept and embrace his animal nature in his human form?" Narcissa asked warily.

"The changes don't just occur on a full moon," Greyback explained. "Draco is different, all the time now. It's all just new, but he's soon going to notice different things about himself. He'll be stronger, and he'll be able to cope with more pain than before. It'll be harder to hurt him, and he can survive things that could potentially kill a normal human being. Then there's his sense of smell and hearing, both of which will be heightened."

"I think my hearing is already picking up," Draco said, sharing a smile with Hermione as he shared that story of what had happened just before they came downstairs.

"It'll improve as you adjust to your change," Greyback predicted. "Your appetite might also be affected. Chances are you'll like your meat rarer than before, and usually around the full moon you'll have a larger appetite. I don't know if it works for everyone, but I know transforming always affects my libido. I'm always ready for action following the full moon."

"That doesn't sound like a problem for Draco, he's always ready for action," Harry joked.

Draco shot his best friend an unimpressed glare, but all it did was make Harry laugh even more. Even Hermione snickered at her nephew's joke, while Lucius had a knowing smirk playing about on his lips. As for everyone else, they remained straight faced, but Draco could see amusement dancing in most of their eyes.

"That's another thing that doesn't fit with what we supposedly know about werewolves," Draco said, turning back to Greyback. "We read that after the full moon, werewolves tended to be exhausted from being up all night."

"The exhaustion comes from fighting their true nature," Greyback explained. "If you embrace the full moon and what it brings, you'll be invigorated the following day. I mean, do I look tired to you?"

"No, you don't," Draco replied. In actual fact, Greyback looked full of life and the complete opposite to what Remus Lupin had always looked like.

"See, being a werewolf is what you make of it, Draco," Greyback said. "The question is, what do you want to make of it? Do you want to fight it, take a potion and hide away on a full moon, or do you want to revel in this gift you've been given and learn to embrace your inner wolf?"

"I want to live my life as normal as possible," Draco answered. "I don't want to have to hide away on a full moon. I don't want to live my life worrying about hurting someone I love."

"Then my advice is to embrace your destiny," Greyback said. "It's not going to happen overnight, and for the first few months you will need to be kept somewhere secure. But I can be with you, and together we can make sure you fulfill your potential as a wolf. If you're serious about accepting this, I think that by the end of the year you'll be able to roam around on a full moon. You never know, you just might come in handy for The Dark Lord."

"What, as werewolf for hire?" Harry asked with a laugh.

"Why not?" Greyback asked, arching an eyebrow at Harry. "If Draco does as I say, he'll soon be in full control around the people he cares about. Just think how much devastation a wolf could do in a battle with your enemies."

"Now that I could live with," Draco said with a wicked grin, finally seeing the potential in being a werewolf.

"Something tells me you're going to take to this just fine, Draco," Greyback said with a fond chuckle.

"Let's hope so," Draco replied, turning to Hermione and giving her a smile. He was still nervous about what lay ahead of him, but thanks to Greyback he could now see that his life wasn't over. Instead, a new chapter had opened up for him, and maybe being a werewolf wasn't the terrible thing he thought it was a few hours earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny Weasley had expected her summer to be full of plans to bring down the dark, but the first month was pretty quiet. Thankfully her mother was slowly recovering from Ron's death, and she wasn't spending all day in bed, but she was still a shadow of her former self. Her father and Percy spent most of their time at work, while Fred and George remained adamant that they were staying well out of any skirmishes with the dark.

Ginny had pinned her hopes of action on her eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, but neither of them were around much for the first few weeks of the holidays. Ginny suspected they were both up to something, but they didn't confide in her. She just hoped that whatever they were doing they would need her help sooner rather than later, otherwise she would just have to devise her own plans for taking down Harry and Hermione.

Happily for Ginny, things took an upturn a few weeks into the holidays when Bill and Charlie were late back home for dinner. When they did turn up, Molly berated them for not bothering to let her know they would be late.

"Your dinners are in the oven, you can warm them up yourselves," Molly snapped at her two eldest children. "I'm going to bed."

"Sorry," Charlie called as Molly swept out of the room.

"Next time think about your mother," Arthur scolded his two sons. "After Ron, she gets worried easy. Next time you're going to be late, have the decency to let us know."

"We will," Bill vowed. "Sorry Dad."

Arthur nodded at his son as he turned and headed off to check on his wife. Grabbing their dinners from the oven, Bill and Charlie warmed them up and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

"Why were you late?" Percy demanded. Even though both Bill and Charlie were older than him, Percy saw himself as the most responsible member of the family.

"We got caught up," Charlie answered. "As you know we've been looking for Remus. For the last week, we've been working on a lead. It seems that the dark didn't capture him at Grimmauld Place, he escaped and he's been living under the radar."

"So you found him?" Fred inquired.

"No, he's moved on," Bill replied with a sigh. "We lost his trail."

"But we did hear something rather disturbing," Charlie added. "We're not the only people looking for him. Fenrir Greyback is rumoured to be around."

"Who is this Greyback?" Ginny asked as all five of her brothers wore identical worried expressions.

"Someone you don't want to meet," Percy muttered darkly.

"Greyback is a werewolf," Bill supplied. "A nasty, vicious werewolf."

"In fact he's the one who bit Remus and infected him," Charlie added. "Remus's father made the mistake of insulting Greyback, so Greyback responded by attacking Remus and turning him into a werewolf."

"And now he's looking for him?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

"Maybe the dark have realised he's not with us and they want to take him out," Bill suggested with a shrug. "Or maybe he's just looking for Remus because he's back."

"What, like a reunion?" George snorted.

"I don't know, I have heard that Greyback likes to keep track of the people he infects," Charlie remarked. "But I don't suppose the reason matters, the point is, he's around so we have to be careful."

"Why do we have to be careful?" Ginny asked. "He's not looking for us."

"Maybe not, but he does have an allegiance with You-Know-Who and the dark," Bill answered. "In the first war, he was very much used as a weapon for the dark."

"A dangerous weapon," Charlie added ominously. "If it's going to be the same again, we all need to watch our backs. One run in with him could change our lives forever."

"So are we just going to leave Remus and hope Greyback doesn't find him?" Ginny questioned.

"No, we're going to keep looking," Bill answered.

"And what about the other thing we discussed?" Ginny asked.

"What other thing?" Percy questioned with a frown, looking between his two brothers and his only sister.

"We can't just let things lie," Charlie answered. "We have to fight."

"And that's my cue to leave," Percy said as he got to his feet. "I've told you before, I want nothing to do with this vendetta against the dark. I won't let my life be ruined due to your rash actions."

"And what about Ron?" Ginny demanded. "Doesn't he deserve vengeance?"

"Ron killed himself," Percy yelled. "He snapped and he threw himself into the lake. We all know it, I'm just the only one brave enough to admit it."

"He did not kill himself," Ginny seethed, glaring angrily at her brother. "He wouldn't do that."

"It wasn't like he had much to live for," Percy shot back. "He was on the verge of being expelled, and he was days away with being charged by the Ministry. Charges, which would have ended up with him in Azkaban. And even if by some miracle he escaped a prison sentence, he'd angered the darkest family in the wizarding world. Just what did he have to live for? In his position, I would have done exactly the same."

"But you're a pathetic worm," Ginny said angrily. "Ron had more backbone than you. He wouldn't have just given up like that. He was killed in cold blood. Harry practically admitted it to me on my first day back at school."

"Think what you want, I'm out of here," Percy said, and not waiting for his sister to say more he turned and stalked out of the kitchen and up to his room.

"We're also going to go home," Fred said as he and George got to their feet.

"Not you two as well," Ginny groaned. "I didn't think either of you were cowards."

"We're not, but we do have a business to think about," George said to his sister. "Like it or not, Ginny, we have our futures to think about. Instigating a war against the dark will be our downfall."

"Is that all you care about, your stupid shop?" Ginny hissed.

"It's not all we care about, but we've worked too hard to let everything fall to pieces," Fred said.

"And we understand that," Charlie interjected before his sister could start again. "All we need is know is which side you'll be on if it all kicks off."

"We're on your side, we always have been," George vowed.

Despite her annoyance, Ginny was silent as her twin brothers left The Burrow and returned to the flat that had come with the shop in Hogsmeade. Once they'd gone, she turned back to Bill and Charlie and demanded to know what their plans were.

"You have to have some idea what you're going to do," She said to her brothers when they seemed reluctant to talk.

"We have a basic plan," Bill admitted. "As you know, we can't kill You-Know-Who."

"So we need to incapacitate him," Ginny interrupted. "I know this, we've talked about it before."

"Yes, well now we've got an idea how we're going to do it," Charlie said. "We're going to find a small house somewhere in the middle of nowhere and hold him captive."

"But won't he just escape?" Ginny asked with a frown. "I'm not doubting either of your magical abilities, but he's so much older and he knows so much dark magic."

"And that is why it's going to be hard to do," Bill said. "But I've got a few contacts from my days as a curse breaker. I can get my hands on a few old spells that even he won't be able to break. If we do things right, we can turn a small property into somewhere even the darkest wizard in the world can't escape from."

"Sounds good," Ginny said with an impressed nod. "But how will we get him there?"

"All we can think of is using someone as bait," Charlie answered. "It's dangerous, but it's all we can think of."

"And what happens to whoever the bait is?" Ginny asked.

"Accidents happen," Bill answered with a bone-chilling smirk.

"Indeed they do," Ginny replied with a smirk of her own, secretly hoping that they would use either Harry or Hermione as bait and they wouldn't survive the experience.

"This won't be happening any time soon Ginny," Charlie warned his sister, seeing her hopes getting raised. "We can't do a thing unless we've got everything in place. If we rush in, everything could go wrong and we could all end up dead."

"I can be patient," Ginny promised her brothers. "But you have to keep me in the loop. You never know, I might be able to help you grab some bait."

"Don't worry Gin, we'll keep you informed," Bill said with a chuckle. "The three of us are in this together."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The night before Severus and Rosmerta's wedding, Severus and Harry came to stay with the family so that Rosmerta had the house to herself before the wedding. Plans were already in place for Hermione, Beth, Narcissa and Daphne to help Rosmerta get ready for the wedding the following day, but for the evening before, Severus and Harry were spending the night with their family.

When the two wizards arrived, the family had dinner together, but Harry was rather surprised when after dinner, Hermione didn't rush off to see Draco. He knew for a fact his aunt had spent the day at home, so he'd expected her to go and visit her boyfriend. Hoping the pair hadn't had a falling out, Harry waited until Hermione headed off to her room to approach her and check that he hadn't missed anything while he'd been helping his father with the wedding.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he settled down on the chair sitting beside Hermione's desk.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied, collapsing onto her bed.

"Is everything okay with Draco?" Harry asked.

"As far as I know," Hermione answered.

"And the pair of you are okay as a couple?" Harry pressed. "You haven't had a fight?"

Propping herself up on her elbow, Hermione gave her nephew a puzzled look. "What's with the third degree?"

"I'm just worried," Harry confessed, moving over to the bed to join his aunt. "I know you've been here all day, so I expected you to go and visit Draco tonight."

"And are we not allowed some time apart?" Hermione questioned.

"Of course," Harry replied, although he was aware that Hermione still hadn't answered his questions about Draco.

"Everything's fine," Hermione reassured her nephew, noticing the way he was still looking curiously at her.

"Really?" Harry retorted sceptically, raising an eyebrow as his aunt flopped back on the bed with a sigh. "Hermione," He prompted with a nudge.

"Okay, it's not fine." Swinging her legs off the bed, Hermione jumped up and stalked over to the window.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked gently.

"He's pushing me away, Harry," Hermione admitted in a small voice. "Even though I've made it clear I'm not going to leave him, I can feel him pulling away from me."

"I thought he was accepting things after his talk with Greyback," Harry said.

"I think he is, but even so it's hard for him," Hermione replied, turning around from the window and leaning back against her windowsill. "His whole life has changed, and try as I might, I can't properly understand what he's going through. How can I be there for him, if I don't know what he's going through?"

"You just need to give him time," Harry said. "Maybe it'll be easier after his next full moon."

"I hope so," Hermione said, her face a picture of misery. "It kills me that I can't help him."

"Maybe you don't need to help him with his wolf thing," Harry suggested. "He's got Greyback for that. Maybe what you need to do is show him that he's still the wizard you love. Forget about the whole werewolf thing, and concentrate on your relationship."

Ever so slowly, Hermione's face broke into a smile. Rushing over to Harry, she gave him a hug and a kiss before yanking open one of her drawers and pulling some silky black and green material from it, she rushed off into the bathroom. Harry watched with confusion, but when he peered in Heroine's drawer, which she hadn't quite closed properly, he realised what she was doing. The drawer in question held an array of sexy underwear, so Harry was suspecting his aunt was slipping into something racy before she went to pay Draco a visit.

"I think I'm going to head off to my room," Harry called through the closed door that led to Hermione's bedroom. "Have fun."

Before Harry had the chance to leave the room, Hermione yanked open the door and barrelled out of her bathroom. On the surface, she looked no different aside from the fact she'd taken down her hair and it was falling in loose waves down her back.

"Thank you so much for the advice, Harry," Hermione gushed as she quickly slapped on a thin coat of black cherry lip gloss.

"I'm sure Draco will appreciate it," Harry smirked.

"Let's hope so," Hermione said, flashing an excited smile at Harry. "Tonight, Draco's not going to think about being a wolf. He's going to be all man tonight."

"Too much information, Hermione," Harry chuckled as his aunt sprayed herself with her favourite perfume and flitted out the room to go and surprise her boyfriend.

Hoping that things went well with Hermione and Draco, Harry headed to his old bedroom. Settling down on his bed, he grabbed a book and read for a couple of hours before he decided to have an early night. It was a big day for all the family tomorrow, and Harry needed his sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Harry got up on the day of the wedding, Hermione and Beth had already headed off to help Rosmerta get ready while Lucius and Draco had shown up for breakfast. As Harry slid into the seat next to his best friend, he was pleased to note that Draco seemed more like his normal self. Since the werewolf incident, Harry had been trying to give his friend some space, but even when he had seen him, Draco had been withdrawn and sullen. However, Draco now seemed like his normal self as he greeted Harry happily as their fathers and Voldemort sat at the other end of the table talking quietly.

"Someone seems happy," Harry remarked as he grabbed some toast and smeared it with marmalade.

"It's a lovely day," Draco answered with a shrug.

"And here was me thinking it was last night that put the smile on your face," Harry said cheekily.

"You know about last night?" Draco asked with a frown.

In actual fact it was the previous evening that had him in such a good mood. Despite his talk with Greyback and his decision to accept and embrace what had happened to him, he was still struggling with the whole werewolf thing and as such he hadn't been the best company. However, last night Hermione had shown up in his room wearing the skimpiest of lingerie sets and the pair had spent most of the night making love. Not once had the wolf thing risen its head and for the first time since it happened, Draco felt like a normal wizard.

"Let's just say I acted as cupid last night," Harry replied with a smile.

"You told your aunt to seduce me and spend the night shagging my brains out?" Draco questioned, laughing lightly when Harry grimaced at his plain talking.

"I'm not sure I would put it quite like that," Harry muttered.

"Well whatever you did, thank you," Draco said sincerely. "Last night was just what I needed. For once I wasn't thinking about being a wolf, I was just like everyone else."

"You're welcome," Harry replied. "How is the wolf thing going?" He asked warily. He didn't want to upset Draco, but at the same time he didn't think it was healthy to just ignore the fact that Draco was now a werewolf.

"I guess the big test will come next full moon," Draco answered. "At the moment, I'm still coming to terms with it. I know I've been a moody bugger these last few weeks."

"Really?" Harry shot his friend a shocked look. "I'd never noticed."

"Bollocks," Draco laughed. "I'm sure you and Hermione were ready to punch me. I've been such a miserable git."

"I didn't like to say," Harry joked. "I didn't want to upset the big bad wolf."

"Why, frightened I might bite?" Draco questioned, flashing his teeth at Harry.

"Terrified," Harry returned with a smirk, pleased to see Draco joking about his new condition.

Feeling more light-hearted since the night he'd been bitten by Lupin, Draco grinned back at Harry as the pair finished their breakfast while they chatted about the day ahead. The wedding wasn't due to take place until the afternoon, and then the formal reception and evening party would be held at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa had organised both the reception and the party as a wedding present for the happy couple.

"Severus is going to tell you to go home and pack," Draco whispered to Harry, seconds before Severus turned his attention to his son and said exactly what Draco had predicted.

After the party, Severus and Rosmerta planned to spend their wedding night in a top class country hotel, courtesy of Voldemort and Beth, before having a two week honeymoon in the south of France. For the duration of their honeymoon, Harry was going to be staying with Hermione and his grandparents.

"How did you know what Dad was going to say?" Harry asked Draco as the pair left the dining room.

"My hearing is improving all the time," Draco replied. Even though he was still adjusting to being a werewolf, things weren't all bad and the hearing thing was definitely handy.

"That's so cool," Harry replied, leading the way to the floo room as Draco was going to help him get packed.

When they arrived at Harry's house, they found the place awash with witches getting ready for the wedding. While the men were planning on spending the morning relaxing, before getting ready nearer to the time of the wedding, preparations were well under way for the female portion of the wedding party.

"What are you two doing here?" Beth questioned, suddenly appearing in front of the two boys.

"I need to grab my things for my stay with you and Grandpa," Harry explained.

"Be quick, we're snowed under here," Beth replied.

"So we can see," Harry muttered as he led the way to the stairs, stepping over all sorts of wedding paraphernalia.

"Wow, women take this wedding stuff seriously," Draco remarked with a low whistle as he and Harry hastily hurried to Harry's large bedroom on the top floor of the house.

"They do, don't they?" Harry agreed with a nod as he grabbed a bag and began packing. "And we'll have to go through this whole palaver again when you and Hermione get married."

"Who says we're getting married?" Draco asked, perching on Harry's bed. "I'm not sure Hermione will want to marry a werewolf."

"You could be a zombie and Hermione would still want to marry you," Harry retorted with a snort. "Don't start feeling sorry for yourself Draco, or I'll be forced to kick your arse."

"I'd like to see you try," Draco chuckled. Although to be honest, he wasn't sure who would win in a fight between him and Harry as the need to fight had never arisen between the two friends.

"Just don't let the wolf thing change your life," Harry warned seriously. "At least not the important parts. Hermione loves you, wolf and all, so don't ever forget that."

"I won't," Draco vowed in a quiet voice. He knew Harry was right and that Hermione loved him regardless of recent events, but that wasn't to say he didn't think she would be better off without him in his darkest moments.

Changing the subject, Harry got Draco to help with his packing before the two boys once again braved the circus downstairs. Leaving the women to their pampering and preparations, the two teenagers headed back to Voldemort's house, where they spent the rest of the morning hanging out in the garden until finally it was time for the men to start and get ready for the wedding.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

The wedding took place in a picturesque country chapel, with only a handful of guests. More people were invited to the reception, and the party later on, but for the actual ceremony itself was only going to be attended by a small portion of people. Aside from the family and the Malfoys, the guests were mainly made up of other family friends. The Notts were present, along with the Greengrasses and Parkinsons. Blaise Zabini and his beautiful mother were also among the guests, along with a selection of Rosmerta's friends from Hogsmeade and just her life in general.

The men were the first to arrive, all in their fancy black dress robes. While Lucius, Voldemort and Draco took their seats in the congregation, Harry and Severus took their place at the altar. Harry half expected his father to be a bag of nerves, but Severus was surprisingly calm as they waited for Rosmerta to arrive. It was only once the rest of the guests had gathered and Narcissa and Beth took their seats that Severus began to get nervous.

"What if she hasn't turned up?" Severus whispered to his son.

"Of course she's turned up," Harry reassured his father. "Beth and Narcissa have just taken their seats. Do you not think they would have said something if Rosmerta was having second thoughts?"

"I guess you're right," Severus admitted. "I just don't want anything to go wrong."

"It won't," Harry replied confidently.

Thankfully, Harry was proved right and the wedding went off without a hitch. Only seconds after their conversation, the music began to play and Rosmerta made her entrance with Hermione and Daphne following behind her. While Severus's eyes were glued to his future wife, Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from Daphne, who looked stunning in a flattering lilac gown. Hermione looked equally as stunning in her dress, and Draco was practically drooling as he watched her glide down the aisle behind her future sister-in-law.

The ceremony itself was the essence of romance, with Severus and Rosmerta exchanging personal vows before the more traditional ones. The couple were then magically bonded before the minister pronounced them man and wife. As the newlyweds shared their first kiss as a married couple even Harry and Hermione didn't turn away in disgust. Everyone in the chapel knew just how much this moment meant to the couple and no-one begrudged them their happiness.

Once the ceremony was over, Severus and Rosmerta did the official paperwork before joining their family and guests outside for the pictures. The official pictures took quite a while to get them all taken as Rosmerta wanted to include everyone who had attended the wedding in the pictures. Large group pictures were taken, before various pictures of the wedding party were taken. Rosmerta then had family pictures taken, as well as insisting that Harry and Daphne, and then Draco and Hermione, got their picture taken together.

By the time the pictures were over, it was nearly time for the reception so Narcissa and Beth rushed off to check everything was in hand at the manor. Of course everything was running smoothly and within forty minutes of Severus and Rosmerta getting married they were settled in the gardens of Malfoy Manor enjoying their wedding reception.

"Any regrets?" Severus asked his wife as they sat at the top table watching their friends and family celebrating their reunion.

"None whatsoever," Rosmerta replied. Turning to her husband, she leant up and give him a deep kiss, letting him know that marrying him had been the best decision she'd ever made.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Voldemort stood leaning against the makeshift bar in the Malfoys ballroom, watching with pride as his son shared a dance with his new wife. Also on the dancefloor was his grandson with his girlfriend and his daughter with Draco. Both Hermione and Daphne had been changed for the evening party, and Voldemort thought his daughter was looking particularly grown up in a sweeping emerald dress.

"Feeling old?" Beth's teasing voice whispered in his ear as his pregnant wife arrived at his side.

"I am actually," Voldemort confessed. Even though people lived for a lot longer in the wizarding world, it did make him feel old to witness his adult son get married and his little girl blossoming into a truly amazing adult.

"You'll be feeling anything but old in a few months," Beth chuckled. "There's nothing like a baby to make you feel young at heart."

Smiling fondly at his wife, Voldemort gave her a quick kiss before she wandered off to socialise. Instead of making the rounds himself, Voldemort remained where he was and people gravitated towards him. He spoke to several of his Death Eaters, including the Minister of Magic, Bernard Nott.

"How are things going, Ezra?" He asked when Ezra Greengrass came over to speak with him. "Enjoying the party?"

"I am, My Lord," Ezra replied. "And may I just say your grandson is a lovely boy."

"Ah yes, he's dating your oldest, isn't he?" Voldemort said with a nod.

"He is," Ezra confirmed. Daphne had made the official introductions to her boyfriend a few weeks ago and since then the Greengrasses had met Harry several times and he was pretty popular with the family.

"Young love," Voldemort said with a wistful sigh as he watched Daphne throw her head back and laugh at something Harry had just said to her. "They do make a striking couple."

"Indeed they do," Ezra agreed. "And I hear congratulations are in order for you and your lovely wife."

"Thank you," Voldemort said. "Although, I'm sure I don't need to stress the importance of keeping such news private."

"Of course not," Ezra reassured the dark wizard. "Everyone here understands the need to be circumspect."

"Hopefully it won't be an issue much longer," Voldemort said. "I'm hoping the Order are pretty much defunct. I don't suppose you've spoken to Fletcher recently, have you?"

The previous year, Voldemort had tasked Ezra with approaching Mundungus Fletcher and bribe him to pass information from the Order. Ezra had done exactly as The Dark Lord required, but unfortunately Fletcher was far too insignificant to offer much insight into the workings of the Order. However, even having a useless git like Fletcher on side was better than having no insight at all into what the Order were up to.

"I have actually," Ezra replied. "Officially the Order still exists, but he has no idea who's in charge these days. It's certainly not run with the same vigour as in Dumbledore's days."

"I hardly thought it would," Voldemort said. "The Weasleys are pretty much the stronghold of the Order now, and given what happened to their family last year, I'm guessing they're not much use."

"Actually, Fletcher did mention the Weasleys," Ezra said. "He seems to think the two eldest boys could be a problem. He reckons they're as thick as thieves and they don't believe their brother killed himself. He thinks we need to watch out for them. They could be dangerous."

"Thank you Ezra, I'll certainly keep an eye on things," Voldemort said thoughtfully, turning his attention to the two eldest Weasleys as Ezra made his way back over to where his wife was sitting.

He'd thought Ron's death would have destroyed the entire family, but clearly he'd underestimated them. He would have to keep a close check on the two Weasley brothers. He wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin everything he'd worked so hard for, especially not now Beth was expecting again and their family was growing. If he had to he would strike first and take out both Bill and Charlie before they became a danger to him or his family.


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting at his desk, waiting for Harry and Hermione to show up, Voldemort scanned the files he'd amassed on the Order over the last year. After his recent conversation with Ezra Greengrass and the information he'd given him, he felt it was time to take a closer look at Bill and Charlie Weasley. Voldemort was annoyed to admit it, but he'd taken his eye off the ball in regards to the Order just recently.

Only a few months ago, he was preparing to full infiltrate the Order, via Mundungus Fletcher and the Tonks family, but while he'd tasked Ezra with getting Fletcher onside, he'd failed to do anything about the Tonks family. In fact he'd still been mulling over the best approach to take with the family when they raided Order Headquarters and everything had changed. With one well timed move, the Order had lost several key members of the group, either through death, or in Sirius Black's case his fresh incarceration. Then fresh on the heels of the attack on Grimmauld Place came the dealing with Ron Weasley, which resulted in his life being ended.

Stupidly, Voldemort thought that the twin attacks would be enough to practically silence the Order. After all, they'd lost so many people it would be hard for them to continue without recruiting more people, and who in their right mind would join a band of people who were dropping like flies. He'd even thought the Weasleys had been dealt with, despite the fact only one of their number had been killed. He thought the loss of just one member of such a close knit family would be enough to end them all, but clearly he'd been wrong.

"Or maybe they're not quite as close as we thought," Voldemort muttered as he studied the files on the two eldest Weasleys and found something he'd never noticed before.

Before returning home around the time Voldemort made his presence felt at Hogwarts, both boys had worked abroad. Of course Voldemort had known that, but he was only just realising how quickly the pair left the country after finishing Hogwarts. Charlie for example had finished Hogwarts the summer before Harry and Hermione had started school, but yet by the time they went to school in September, he'd already moved to Romania. And Bill was no better, he was settled in Egypt within a few months of leaving Hogwarts. Was it a coincidence that the Weasleys two eldest children not only left the family home, but both left the country as soon as was physically possible? Was there trouble in the family that the dark knew nothing about?

Mentally reminding himself to look into a potential rift within the family, Voldemort set about finding out what sort of challenge the two eldest Weasleys could present him with. Checking their school records he found both boys were smart and had received good grades at Hogwarts, with Bill even holding the position of Head Boy. However, Voldemort decided that Bill was the bigger threat of the two as he continued to peruse the file. Bill had spent years working as a curse breaker, a job only highly intelligent and highly skilled witches and wizards could do. That wasn't to say Charlie was to be underestimated, because working with dragons wasn't exactly a job for the faint hearted. Together, Voldemort suspected they could be quite a handful.

"A handful that needs dealing with swiftly," Voldemort muttered, closing the file and sliding it into his desk drawer as someone knocked on the door. "Come in," He called.

Since he was expecting his daughter and grandson, it came as no surprise to him when Harry and Hermione poked their heads into the room. Ushering the pair into his office, he settled them in seats in front of his desk.

"Are we in trouble?" Hermione asked with a cheeky grin.

"Have you done anything to warrant being in trouble?" Voldemort retorted.

"Sadly, we've been good," Hermione said with a sigh. Even with her recent hospital visit, she was still eager to get involved in some action. She still felt she had plenty to prove as The Dark Lord's daughter.

"And that's a bad thing?" Voldemort chuckled.

"It is when you're part of this family," Harry retorted. "We want some action. A chance to prove our darkness."

"Darkness isn't just a show of strength and brutality," Voldemort said wisely. "It's being cunning and manipulating things in ways people don't even realise."

"I'd settle for some bloody deaths," Harry muttered.

"I'll see what I can do," Voldemort said in amusement. "But for today, I want to talk to the pair of you about the future. You're about to start your last year at school, and I was wondering if either of you have given any thought to your future once you graduate."

"I have," Hermione answered brightly.

"Are these the plans Draco mentioned?" Harry asked his aunt.

"More than likely," Hermione replied. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"He said something about you having plans so you wouldn't be in a battle with me to rule the world, and if I wanted more details I had to ask you. But I forgot until now."

"You want to rule the world, Harry?" Voldemort asked with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't mind," Harry answered with a smirk. "After all, someone needs to make sure things run smoothly and the Order never get a chance to wrestle back control of the wizarding world."

"So you would be interested in joining the Ministry and one day taking over as Minister?" Voldemort checked with his grandson.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Harry replied. "But where would that leave Hermione?"

"Right where I wanted to be," Hermione replied with a smile. "In fact, if you're Minister we could work perfectly together."

"Doing what?" Voldemort questioned, still none the wiser about what his daughter planned to do with her future.

"Overhauling the school system," Hermione answered. "Eventually, I was thinking I would take over as Headmistress when Severus wants to retire, but before that I've got big plans."

"Tell us about these plans, Hermione," Voldemort urged.

For the next half hour, Hermione outlined her plans for the school system in the wizarding world. First of all she wanted to open a school for younger children, so that they could get a basic education before venturing into Hogwarts. That meant that by the time they went to Hogwarts, they already had a basic knowledge of magic and the lessons for the first years would end up being far more productive than they were now. Secondly, she wanted to have muggleborns attend the earlier school to give them a taste of what to expect, then if they decided it wasn't for them, they could be obliviated and returned to the muggle world before they wasted seven years at Hogwarts. Although, Hermione also pointed out that if the muggleborns attended the earlier school, they could decide just how much magic they had and whether it was even worth them joining the wizarding world. Those found lacking, could again be returned to the muggle world where they could get on with the rest of their lives in peace.

Hermione also explained how she wanted to transform Hogwarts. She wanted to hire more staff, especially some younger ones, and have more than one professor for each subject. As Hermione rightly pointed out, it was a hell of a lot they were asking for the current staff to teach seven years' worth of children all by themselves. Hermione also felt that the added staff could prove useful for students who were struggling in certain subjects. With more staff, the students could get the support they needed, as opposed to the current system where they either had to struggle on or hope that the professor they needed help from was kind enough to spare them some of their precious time.

"It sounds like you've really given this some thought," Voldemort said once Hermione had finished speaking.

"I have," Hermione confirmed. "And I really think it has potential. Please let me explore this."

"If that's what you want to do, go for it," Voldemort said. "I won't stand in your way."

"Thank you," Hermione gushed, grinning excitedly at her father. "And I just so happen to have a few people in mind to join the Hogwarts staff."

"Like who?" Harry asked.

"Neville for a start," Hermione answered.

"The Longbottom boy?" Voldemort queried. "What are you trying to do, keep him sweet so he won't fight against us?"

"We've already told you, Neville won't fight against us," Harry told his grandfather. "He and his gran are staying neutral. They'll only fight if we target them."

"Which we will not be doing," Hermione said sternly. "This has nothing to do with keeping Neville sweet, it's something I feel he'll be good at. He's a natural herbologist, and when he gets talking about plants he forgets his shyness and he glows. He'll be a good teacher."

"It's your call, Hermione," Voldemort said.

Before the conversation could go any further there was another knock on the door and Beth poked her head into the office.

"Greyback in here to see you," She told her husband.

"Send him in," Voldemort said.

A couple of minutes later, Greyback sauntered into the office, a brown backpack slung over his shoulder. When he saw Harry and Hermione sitting with Voldemort he faltered slightly and some of his confidence seemed to leave him.

"Greyback," Voldemort greeted, unsure of why the werewolf seemed hesitant of his daughter and grandson.

"My Lord," Greyback returned, inclining his head in Voldemort's direction.

"I didn't expect to see you today," Voldemort remarked. "The full moon isn't until next week."

"This isn't about Draco," Greyback replied. "Of course, I'll be around next week and we can discuss the best course of action to help him with the change. This is about the other task you gave me."

"You've got some news?" Voldemort questioned eagerly.

"I've got more than news," Greyback replied. "But perhaps your daughter and grandson might like to leave the room."

"We're not going anywhere," Hermione insisted. "If you've got news about Lupin we want to hear it."

"My Lord?" Greyback questioned Voldemort.

"Let them stay," Voldemort said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Both Harry and Hermione were old enough to make their own minds up and if they wanted to stay and find out what was going on, he wasn't going to make them leave.

"As you wish," Greyback replied with a shrug as he removed the backpack from his shoulder and rested it on Voldemort's desk. In one swift movement, he tipped the bag upside down and its bloody contents rolled out with a slight pop.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harry questioned quietly as he took in the sight of his grandfather's desk. When Greyback had tipped the bag over, Remus Lupin's decapitated head had fallen out and his eyes were staring blankly up at Harry.

"It is," Greyback replied, taking hold of Lupin's hair and holding his head up like a trophy. "One dead werewolf."

"Did he suffer?" Voldemort asked, taking no notice of the few drops of blood that were congealing on his desk.

"He did," Greyback replied with a vicious grin. "He was suffering right up until I slit his throat."

"Thank you, Greyback," Voldemort said. "I trust you've gotten rid of the body?"

"Burnt to a crisp," Greyback answered. "I don't know if you wanted the head, but I thought it would prove handy to show you I've done as you asked."

"And you have done," Voldemort replied. "You may dispose of the head as well, please."

"Of course," Greyback replied as he shoved the head back into his bag and slung it back over his shoulder. "Oh, and I've heard rumours that two Weasleys have been sniffing around asking questions about Lupin. I think they were trying to find him."

"I'm sure they were," Voldemort said. "And have they heard any whispers about you being back?"

"Quite possibly," Greyback admitted. "I have to admit, I don't keep the lowest of profiles. If they don't already know I'm back, they will soon."

"Good," Voldemort replied with a slow smirk. "Let then worry about what you're doing. You never know, you might get to taste weasel before all this is over, Greyback."

"Something to look forward to," Greyback replied, flashing his sharp, white teeth.

Voldemort thanked Greyback once more, and making plans for the werewolf to visit Draco in a few days, Greyback left the house. Once Greyback was gone, Voldemort turned back to his daughter and grandson and checked they were okay with what they'd just seen. Of course they were both fine, if anything they just wished they'd been the ones to hurt Lupin after what he'd done to Draco. Although, at least now he'd been dealt with and Remus Lupin would no longer be a thorn in their side. Now they just had to deal with Bill and Charlie Weasley and nothing or no-one would trouble the dark again as they finalised their assent to power and domination in the wizarding world.


	7. Chapter 7

As the next full moon approached, Draco began to once again worry about his transformation. For the last few weeks, he'd been able to live his life as normal, but he couldn't just forget about what would happen on the night of the full moon. Although it was especially hard to forget about it when a few days before the full moon, Greyback appeared at the manor with Voldemort. Harry and Hermione were already at the manor, and they joined Draco as he settled down to talk to the werewolf about his upcoming transformation.

"I'm assuming you still want to embrace your inner wolf?" Greyback checked.

"Yes," Draco replied determinedly. Even though he was worried, he knew Greyback's way was the best way forward for him. "I don't want being a werewolf to ruin my life. I don't want to live in fear and shame like Lupin did."

"No-one should want that, the man was a disgrace to our kind," Greyback replied with a snarl. "Trust me, Draco, if you embrace this you'll be nothing like Lupin. You'll be strong and powerful, not a weak loser like he was."

"So what's going to happen?" Lucius asked. "We didn't want to have to lock Draco up."

"No, locking him up isn't the answer," Greyback said. "Only people who are afraid of their inner wolf lock themselves up."

"But I am afraid," Draco said quietly. "I don't want to hurt anyone I care about."

"And you won't," Greyback reassured him. "You won't be exposed to anyone you care about until you're in full control of your wolf side."

"And how long will that take?" Draco asked.

"I can't answer that, it all depends on you," Greyback replied. "Personally speaking, I was in full control after a few months. Don't fight this Draco, and in a few months you'll have perfect control."

"I won't fight it," Draco said. "But what happens on the full moon? I might be going to accept this, but I don't want to risk hurting anyone."

"And you won't," Greyback replied. "No-one is going to be here on the full moon. What I suggest is that the wards around the manor are reinforced, so neither of us can leave the grounds. The place seems big enough for us both to have plenty of room to roam free."

"We have plenty of space, and I can make sure the wards are intact," Lucius said. "But what about the manor? Will we have to lock it up?"

"Unless you want to risk it getting trashed, I would make sure it's impenetrable," Greyback said. "Even though I've got full control on my wolf form, I'm not house trained. Draco and I aren't pet dogs, we're deadly wolves, and house aren't really the best places for us."

"I can assure that the manor is impenetrable," Lucius said.

"Even so, I would suggest vacating the manor for the evening," Greyback said. "I don't foresee any problems, but I think Draco will find the whole thing easier if he's not having to worry about his family being in close proximity."

"I will," Draco confirmed. "At least if no-one's in the house, I know I can't hurt anyone."

"And then he can focus on learning to attune his human and wolf side," Greyback added.

"The manor will be empty," Lucius confirmed. As much as he would have liked to have stayed around for his son, he could understand why it would be better for Draco if he and Narcissa weren't in the vicinity.

"One more thing," Greyback said, turning to Draco. "As I'm sure you noticed, the transformation ruins what clothes you're wearing. So make sure you're wearing clothes you're not bothered about, or strip off before the full moon rises. And I would also place some clothes somewhere for easy access in the morning."

"I can sort some clothes and put them somewhere in the grounds," Draco confirmed.

Greyback stayed another half an hour, discussing plans for the wards with Lucius and Voldemort, before he left, promising Draco he'd be back on the day of the full moon. While Lucius left to get started on the ward alterations with Voldemort, Draco, Hermione and Harry retreated to Draco's bedroom.

"So are you nervous?" Harry asked his friend as he settled down on Draco's bed.

"Yes," Draco confirmed. "But I'm also excited at the same time. I know being scared isn't going to help. I need to learn to control my inner wolf and accept that my life is different now. At least this time I know what to expect."

"I guess that'll help," Hermione said. "But just remember, it doesn't matter if you can't get control of yourself straight away. We can make sure you don't hurt anyone until you've got control."

"But when I've got control, you expect me to hurt someone?" Draco questioned with a chuckle, reading between the lines of his girlfriend's words.

"I guess that depends on how many enemies we still have," Hermione replied with a shrug. "But I won't deny, you could be useful if we need to deal with the last few members of the Order."

"Just don't count on me just yet," Draco warned. "I may be rubbish at this whole wolf thing. I might be a pathetic wolf."

"You couldn't be pathetic if you tried," Hermione said, smiling at Draco as she wrapped her arms around him and connected their lips.

"Excuse me, I'm still here," Harry called, wincing as he spotted Draco's hands trailing down to Hermione's backside.

"As if we could forget," Hermione muttered, slowly breaking the kiss with Draco and giving her nephew a mock glare. "Don't you have a love life of your own to be furthering?"

"Daph's busy today," Harry replied with a grin as he jumped to his feet. Moving over to his aunt and best friend, he squeezed himself in between them and slung his arms over their shoulders. "It looks like you two have drawn the short straw. You've got me for the rest of the day."

"Lucky us," Draco drawled, although he wasn't really unhappy with Harry spending time with him and Hermione. After all, Harry spent plenty of time with Daphne, meaning he and Hermione always had plenty of time together.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Draco stood on the balcony of his bedroom, watching as the sun slowly got lower in the sky. Greyback had arrived at the manor less than an hour ago and he and Lucius were currently double checking the wards around the manor. Greyback was also getting a feel of the property and just how much space he and Draco had to explore. Earlier that afternoon, Draco had placed a fresh set of clothes in his childhood treehouse, and he was now changed into an old t-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms.

Spotting Greyback and his father heading towards the house, Draco knew it was time. Heading back into his bedroom, he securely locked the balcony doors before leaving his wand on his bedside table and heading downstairs to meet Greyback. When he arrived downstairs, Lucius and Narcissa were waiting for them, their bags at the bottom of the stairs. They were heading to spend the night with Voldemort and Beth.

"We need to be going," Lucius said to his son. "Once you're in the back garden, we'll activate the wards and you'll not be able to get back into the manor until we come back in the morning."

Draco nodded, already knowing how things were going to work. Knowing time was running out, he quickly gave his mother a hug and ordering her not to worry, he headed into the back garden to meet up with Greyback. As he left the house, he heard Lucius shut and lock the door behind him, and when he turned around he witnessed the manor briefly being coated in a purple glow as Lucius activated the wards that would keep him and Greyback out of the house.

"This is it," Greyback called, drawing Draco's attention back to the werewolf. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Draco replied. "Will we be able to communicate in wolf form?"

"I've never been able to communicate with another wolf," Greyback answered. "When we're wolves, we don't have the ability to talk. I suppose we could try and communicate by growls and howls, but I really don't think that would work."

"Can you understand a human in your wolf form?" Draco asked.

"Once you're in control of your wolf side," Greyback said. "As I said, when I'm in wolf form I've still got my human mind and emotions. You should be the same, so I'm guessing when you're ready to be around people you'll be able to understand them."

"I hope so," Draco replied. He was thinking about Hermione, and how much easier things would be if he could understand her in his wolf form. Of course, before they could try that out he needed to be certain that she would be in no danger from him.

"It's nearly time," Greyback said. "I'm sure you can feel the pull of the wild."

"I've had this strange feeling all day, and it's getting stronger," Draco confirmed.

"That's your inner wolf waiting to come out and play," Greyback said with a grin. "When it happens, Draco, embrace it. Do what comes natural and don't worry about the consequences. We're safe here, and you can't hurt anyone. Enjoy it."

"I intend to," Draco said, finally starting to feel excited rather than nervous.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready," Greyback said.

Before Draco could react, Greyback had his shirt unbuttoned. Seconds later the shirt was thrown to the floor and Greyback shimmed out of his shoes and trousers. Clearly the werewolf wasn't a fan of underwear, and Draco got a flash of his family jewels as he gathered his clothes and placed them on the manor's steps.

"I don't have the money to ruin clothes every month," Greyback said to a shocked Draco. "I need to save my clothes."

Draco nodded as he averted his eyes. In time, he would more than likely go down the stripping off route, but he hardly knew Greyback, so he wasn't getting naked in front of someone he'd only just met. Greyback found Draco's embarrassment funny and the blond clearly heard the werewolf laughing at him. However, he didn't have time to be embarrassed as he felt himself beginning to vibrate gently. Turning to Greyback, he found the werewolf standing with a massive grin on his face, as he stared up at the night sky where the moon was just making his appearance.

Giving himself over to the experience, Draco dismissed his worries as he felt the change overcome him. The previous month, he hadn't been at all aware of the change, but this time Draco could feel everything. He could feel his entire body changing shape and size, but he was pleased to find his mind stayed perfectly intact the entire time. Draco was so caught up with his change that he'd forgot about Greyback until he let out a loud howl.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco spotted a large, black wolf running across the manor's grounds. Without even thinking about it, he took off in a sprint after the black wolf. His body moved instinctively, and Draco found himself enjoying the freedom of his new body. It felt so natural to be running around free and wild, and he wondered what he'd ever been so afraid of. He'd never felt more free in his entire life.

Draco's entire night ran pretty smoothly, with him staying in touch with his human mind for almost the entire time. There were a couple of times when his mind went wandering, and when it returned he found he had no memories of the last few minutes. However, there were just brief incidents and for the most part, Draco was fully aware of where he was and what he was doing.

Although, everything wasn't quite what he'd expected, and he'd been rather overwhelmed by his bloodthirst when he caught the scent of a rabbit. The incident with the rabbit was one of the times Draco lost track of himself, and when his mind did click back into place, he'd found himself with the corpse of a dead rabbit, he'd clearly hunted and killed. The incident proved that Draco wasn't quite in control of his bloodthirst, and he would still need time before he could be free to be around other people in his wolf form. But on a whole, he was pretty impressed with his first proper night as a werewolf, and it was a view Greyback shared when day broke and the pair turned back into their human selves.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Greyback admitted. "You're a natural wolf, Draco."

"Not entirely," Draco said, telling his mentor about the rabbit incident.

"You'll get used to that," Greyback said. "Although, that will be the key to knowing when you're getting full control. The time you can hunt and kill without your mind going wandering is the time you know your control is building up. From there we should be able to talk about slowly introducing people into our moonlight adventures."

"Slowly?" Draco frowned, not quite sure what Greyback was getting at.

"Yes, slowly," Greyback replied. "We can't just suddenly have you going from being isolated to having lots of people around. We need to do this slowly, so that you'll not hurt anyone. But we'll talk about that in a few months. For now, we'll continue like this for the next few full moons."

"I'll be back at school for the next one," Draco pointed out with a frown. He'd never given a thought about school, and how this was going to change things for him at Hogwarts.

"I'm sure you can come home for the night," Greyback said with a shrug. "Now what time are your parents due home, I'm starving."

"I know what you mean, I'm famished. But my parents should be back soon," Draco replied as he checked his watch.

Settling down near to the back door of the manor, Draco and Greyback continued to talk about their night. The more he talked, the more Draco realised just how much he enjoyed himself. Something told him, he was going to enjoy being a werewolf. It certainly wasn't the curse Remus Lupin and other wolves led the wizarding world to believe.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well here we are," Severus said with a sigh as he turned to his wife. After a luxurious honeymoon, the couple had arrived home with just enough time for Severus to get things sorted at Hogwarts before the start of the new term.

"You're glad to be back really," Rosmerta chuckled. As much as she knew Severus had enjoyed their honeymoon, she also knew he'd missed his family, especially Harry.

"I suppose so," Severus conceded. "But I will miss it just being the two of us."

"It'll be back to the two of us soon enough," Rosmerta said. "Before we know it, Harry will be back at school."

"Speaking of which, I better get sorting things at Hogwarts," Severus remarked. "We're due back in a couple of weeks and I've done nothing to prepare for the upcoming year. I'm still a Professor down thanks to Beth's pregnancy."

"You'll sort it," Rosmerta replied, giving her husband a peck on the cheek as she swept past him with their bags.

Severus helped Rosmerta with the unpacking, before he suggested heading to his father's house. Not only was he eager to see his son, but he also knew he needed to get on with work. The summer had been all about his marriage to Rosmerta, and Hogwarts had taken a back seat. However, there was still a few weeks until the start of the new school year, and Severus knew he could do everything that needed doing in that time and still have some time to spend with his wife and son.

Arriving at Voldemort and Beth's house, Severus and Rosmerta found the couple outside in the garden enjoying an afternoon of sun and relaxation. Lucius and Narcissa were also in the garden, and while it looked like Voldemort and Lucius were talking business, Beth and Narcissa had dozens of baby magazines and catalogues spread out on the table in front of them.

"Welcome home," Beth gushed as she jumped up to greet her step-son and his wife. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Amazing," Rosmerta replied. "It was so peaceful and romantic."

"Sit down and tell us all about it," Narcissa urged, patting the chair next to where she was sitting.

While Rosmerta settled down to tell Beth and Narcissa all about her romantic honeymoon, Severus wandered over to where his father and Lucius were sitting talking.

"Romantic, eh?" Lucius asked with a cheeky smile. "I take it that means, lots of sex."

"We did what all couples do on honeymoon," Severus answered.

"Lots of sex it is then," Lucius said with a chuckle. "You do look paler than normal, Severus. She must have worn you out."

"I'm not that old that I'm too worn out," Severus replied with a small smirk. "Which is just as well since I've got plenty to do in regards to Hogwarts."

"Ah yes, about that, we've had a volunteer to take over from Beth," Voldemort told his son.

"A volunteer?" Severus raised a wary eyebrow at his father. "What sort of a volunteer? I need competent staff."

"She's more than competent, in fact she's a very talented witch," Voldemort answered.

"Who are we talking about?" Severus asked.

"Narcissa," Lucius answered.

"Narcissa? Seriously? She wants to come and teach at Hogwarts?" Severus questioned, glancing over to where Lucius's wife was happily laughing with Rosmerta and Beth.

"I took the liberty of approaching her shortly after Beth announced her pregnancy," Voldemort explained. "She said she would think about it, but quite honestly I didn't expect her to say yes."

"Then why did she?" Severus asked.

"Draco," Lucius answered. "After what happened to him, she wants to be closer to him."

"I guess that's understandable," Severus said. "And if she wants the job, I have no problems with it. It saves me having to find someone."

"Thank you Severus, it will mean a lot to Narcissa," Lucius said.

"And how is Draco?" Severus asked, concerned about his godson. "He'll have had another full moon to deal with why I was away."

"According to Greyback he's a natural wolf," Lucius said. "I still think Draco's struggling with certain elements of his condition, but on a whole he's been positive and accepting it. He's more worried about what will happen once school starts again."

"We're not going to make his condition public knowledge if that's what he's afraid of," Severus said.

He knew it was slightly hypocritical to keep Draco's condition a secret, when they'd rallied against Dumbledore for doing the same for Lupin, but in Severus's mind it was an entirely different situation. Firstly, Draco was student and it was the school's responsibility to protect him, and telling everyone he was a werewolf was tantamount to painting a target on his back and just inviting people to turn on him. Secondly, and quite possibly more importantly, Draco wouldn't be on school grounds on the night of the full moon and unlike Lupin, he was working on having full control over his animal nature. He wasn't going to be locked away terrified he was going to hurt anyone, he was going to be in full control.

"I think he's just worried that people might put two and two together," Lucius confessed. "We know most of the signs the kids spotted in Lupin aren't going to be present for Draco, but he is still going to be disappearing on the full moon. Sooner or later someone's going to pick up on that."

"Not necessarily," Severus said. "I've been giving Draco a lot of thought since this happened, and I think I have a way to safeguard his privacy. Firstly, I think Draco is one of the strongest candidates for Head Boy, so there's not going to be an issue giving him the position."

"How does that help?" Voldemort interrupted, not sure where his son was going.

"Last year I got a chance to really look at the rules and traditions of Hogwarts," Severus explained. "I found a few things that Dumbledore just disagreed with so he fazed them out. One of those things were private dorms for the head students. Traditionally the two head students had their own dorms, but Dumbledore never approved of the situation so shortly after he took over as headmaster, he made the head dorms optional. A lot of the time the head students chose to stay living in their respective houses with their friends, so Dumbledore eventually stopped offering the rooms. I can reinstate the tradition."

"And then no-one will even know Draco has left the school on a full moon," Lucius remarked with a grin.

"No-one will have a clue," Severus replied with a nod. "As obviously, Hermione will be Head Girl alongside him."

"Won't you face opposition among the staff at your choice of head students?" Voldemort asked.

"Quite possibly, but at the end of the day it's my decision to make," Severus replied. "Over the years, I've seen Dumbledore pass over dozens of top class students merely because they were Slytherins."

"I can vouch for that," Lucius said bitterly. "I know for a fact my name was in the mix for Head Boy when I was at Hogwarts, but due to my name and house, I was overlooked."

Severus nodded his agreement. "Precisely. If he could do that, I can do this. Besides, Draco and Hermione are the best options for head students. Hermione is far and away the best witch in her year, and even though the competition is a bit fiercer between the boys, Draco is at the top of the tree."

"Even above Harry?" Voldemort asked with an amused smirk.

"Even above Harry," Severus confirmed with a nod. "I do think Harry could very well be considered for Head Boy as well, but given the circumstances I'm sure he would rather Draco take the honours."

"I'm sure he would," Voldemort agreed. He knew how much his grandson cared about Draco, and he knew he would do nay thing for his best friend.

"And speaking of Harry, where is he?" Severus asked. "I expected him and Hermione would be here to welcome us back."

"They're out with friends," Voldemort answered. "The whole group have gone down to the village near the manor. We're all having dinner at the manor, so they're due back before then."

"All?" Severus queried.

"All their friends as well," Lucius said. "Narcissa currently has the elves arranging a barbecue for this evening."

"Sounds good," Severus replied with a grin.

With some answers about Draco and what would happen when he returned to Hogwarts, Severus officially offered Narcissa the Potions Professor job. Of course, Narcissa snapped up the job offer and thanked Severus for giving her the opportunity to be closer to her son as he adjusted to his new found werewolf status. Now all that was left was to break the news of her new teaching position to Draco, and hope he didn't have too much trouble with both of his parents being Hogwarts Professors.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Several hours later, Draco had yet to discover the news that his mother was joining the teaching staff at Hogwarts. He was far too busy enjoying himself with his friends. After a day spent together, the group had settled down in the back garden of the manor to enjoy a barbecue. Obviously Hermione, Harry and Daphne had been with Draco all day, and they'd been joined by Blaise, Theo, Luna, Vince and Greg. Pansy had declined their invitation to join them as she'd been busy with her family, and even though Theo had thought about asking Padma to join them, he hadn't wanted to seem too pushy. Theo had seen Padma a few times over the holidays, but last time they'd seen each other they'd parted as though they wouldn't see each other until Hogwarts started again in September.

"You really could have invited, Padma you know," Draco remarked to Theo as they chatted about their upcoming return to Hogwarts.

"We'll see each other soon enough," Theo replied with a shrug. "Besides, we're just getting to know each other. We're not joined at the hip like you and Hermione."

"We are not joined at the hip," Draco protested, just as Hermione walked over to them and settled down beside Draco on one of the large picnic blankets that were spread over the lawn.

"Who's not joined at the hip?" She asked in between bites of her hot dog.

"Us," Draco answered.

"No, there's much more fun places we can be joined," Hermione said with a wicked smirk.

"And I think I'm going to go and get a hot dog," Theo said hastily as he jumped to his feet and all but ran away from Hermione before she could elaborate even further.

"You're so wicked," Draco chuckled, grinning at his girlfriend.

"I know," Hermione replied, returning Draco's grin. "Don't you just love it?"

"I do," Draco answered as he leant over and softly connected his lips with Hermione's.

Putting her hot dog to one side, Hermione wrapped her arms tightly around Draco's neck and deepened the kiss. Draco instantly responded and he pulled Hermione closer to him as their tongues danced around each other. Sliding his hand down Hermione's side, he slipped it under her top and began teasingly drawing it back up her bare skin. Hermione moaned wantonly, and pressed herself closer to Draco when his hand finally reached the covered mounds of her breasts.

"We better stop," Draco muttered, tearing his lips away from Hermione's, although his hand remained cupped around her right breast, stroking at her hard nipple through the lacy bra she was wearing.

"Damn people," Hermione grumbled. She was well and truly turned on and wanted nothing more than to make love to Draco right here, right now, but she knew that wasn't an option.

"Later," Draco vowed, giving Hermione another deep kiss before removing his hand from under her top. Settling down on the blanket, he pulled Hermione down with him so she was lying beside him, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as she rested her head on his chest.

"Are you having a good time today?" Hermione asked quietly. She knew Draco had been nervous about the day, as it had been the first time he'd really spent time with all of his friends since being turned into a werewolf.

"I am," Draco replied with a smile. The day had been great, and it had just proven to him that nothing had to change between him and his friends. Maybe one day he would tell them the truth, but right now they could carry on as normal and no had to know about his big secret.

Draco and Hermione lay chatting for a while before deciding to go and get more food. Thanks to his new werewolf nature, Draco now preferred his meat slightly less cooked than before, so while Hermione was waiting for the elves to finished browning the burgers, Draco grabbed one of the burgers that were cooked but still needed browning. Once Hermione had her burger and they'd grabbed a bit of salad and some other bits and pieces, they wandered over to the others, who had all gathered with the adults.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, wondering why everyone was gathered together.

"I have a couple of announcements to make," Severus said.

"You're pregnant," Harry blurted, turning excitedly to Rosmerta.

"Not that I know of," Rosmerta chuckled.

"School announcements," Severus said.

"Boring," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Severus gave his son a mock glare before continuing. "First, I can break the news that Draco and Hermione will be our new head students, and thanks to some old traditions I'm reviving they will have private rooms at school."

"Nice," Blaise remarked with a low whistle. "I wish I had private rooms."

"Is private rooms really such a good idea?" Theo asked with a frown. "They'll be at it all the time if they have their own rooms."

"That is an issue I don't want to delve into," Severus said with a grimace. He was well aware of the opportunity sharing rooms would give to his sister and her boyfriend, but he knew that ship had well and truly sailed and quite frankly helping Draco with his condition was more important than whether or not he and Hermione were having sex.

"It's an issue none of us wish to delve into," Beth added.

"So moving swiftly onto my second announcement," Severus said. "I'd like to announce that the new Potions Professor will be Narcissa."

"What?" Draco cried, horror etched on his face. "You can't be serious."

"Why ever not?" Narcissa asked. "I'm very adept at Potions."

"I know that, but do you not think it's bad enough I have my father teaching at my school, now I now have to have my mother there as well."

"I won't embarrass you, Draco," Narcissa pouted.

"Yeah right," Draco muttered. "I can't believe my luck. I now have two parents teaching at the school."

"Look on the bright side, it's only for a year," Harry added.

"I guess so," Draco admitted with a sigh. "Congratulations, Mother. I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Thanks, sweetheart, I'll certainly try to do my best," Narcissa said, smiling at her son.

"Why are we getting a new Potions Professor?" Blaise asked in confusion. "I liked Beth."

"Me too, she was the best," Theo added.

"Thank you boys," Beth said, giving the two Slytherins a fond smile. "But I can't come back to teaching because I'm pregnant."

"Wow," Blaise remarked, his mouth dropping open in surprise. "That's amazing."

"And private," Voldemort said sternly. "You are all friends of the family, and therefore I have no problems with you knowing about the baby, but we have no intention of making this public knowledge."

"Our lips are sealed, My Lord," Theo said respectfully.

"Thank you boys," Beth said. "And even though you're disappointed I'm leaving, I'm sure Narcissa will be a perfect replacement."

"At least she's hot like you," Blaise replied with a cheeky grin.

"Blaise," Hermione and Draco cried together in outrage while the rest of their friends and the adults all laughed.

"What? I'm just telling the truth," Blaise said with a careless shrug of his shoulders. "Beth and Narcissa are both hot. And so are you, Rosmerta," He added, giving Harry's stepmother a cheeky wink.

"Now we've established all that, let's get on with the evening," Severus said as he placed a possessive arm around his wife's waist.

"And just remember that the hot new Potions Mistress also happens to be married to the Dark Arts Professor," Lucius added, raising a warning eyebrow at Blaise as he mirrored Severus and wrapped an arm around Narcissa.

"And he's a jealous one," Narcissa said with a fond chuckle as she looked up at her husband with obvious affection.

"Noted," Blaise remarked at the youngsters headed off to leave the adults to chat in peace.

The rest of the evening was a great success and when everyone started to leave at the end of the evening, people were beginning to look forward to their return to Hogwarts. Their final year was fast approaching, and it looked to be as fun filled and action packed as the previous years.


	9. Chapter 9

Standing in the private quarters attached to the Potions Professors office, Narcissa felt a roaring wave of nerves hit her. For the first time, it was just occurring to her what she'd gotten herself into, and she was beginning to doubt she could handle teaching. She'd seen Beth do the job the previous year and her best friend had been a natural at the job, but Narcissa wasn't as sure about her own abilities. Even Lucius had adapted to teaching much better than she'd thought, and she was terrified of letting Severus down if she wasn't as good as her husband and friend.

Of course, Narcissa's nerves weren't helped by the fact she hadn't been asked to join the staff by Severus himself. It had been Voldemort who had first mentioned the possibility of taking over from Beth, and she'd only accepted due to what had happened to Draco. At the time, it had made perfect sense as she wanted to be closer to Draco given recent events, but now she was worried that she was in over her head. Could she really cope with being a Professor when she'd never worked in her life? Narcissa knew she could brew an expert Potion, but would she be able to pass that knowledge onto the students she was going to be teaching?

"Having second thoughts?" Lucius called from behind Narcissa, and when she turned round she found her husband leaning against the doorway from her office.

"Just a few," Narcissa admitted. "What if I'm making a mistake, Lucius? What if I've let what happened to Draco cloud my judgement, and I've stuck Severus with a lame Professor?"

"You're going to be great, Cissa," Lucius said as he walked over to his wife and took her into his arms. "I've always said you would be a natural teacher. Just look at the way you taught Draco when he was younger."

"I didn't do that on my own though," Narcissa argued. "Beth and I worked together to teach all three of the children."

"And you did an excellent job," Lucius reiterated. "Just as you'll do here."

"I hope so," Narcissa said with a sigh, leaning against her husband.

"I know so," Lucius stated as he placed a kiss to the top of his wife's head. "And I bet you're all organised."

Instead of waiting and dropping Draco off at the train station, a job which had been taken by Rosmerta as Beth hadn't been feeling well and Voldemort hadn't wanted to leave his wife, Narcissa had insisted on being up at Hogwarts at the crack of dawn. She'd wanted everything sorted before the students arrived, and with a few hours still to go until the Hogwarts Express arrived, it looked as though she'd achieved her goal.

"I am," Narcissa confirmed. Thanks to Beth she had comprehensive notes, and she'd taken her predecessors advice on which students should carry on with the Potions in their sixth year. "I'm not going to let that old battle-axe, Minerva McGonagall have any reason to complain about me," She added with a slight snarl.

To no-one's surprise, McGonagall had been against Narcissa taking over as Potions Professor. She'd also objected to Hermione and Draco being head students and sharing dorms, but Severus had shot her down. He pointed out that the Headmaster got to choose the head students, and Draco and Hermione were the best students in their year, and he was merely reviving an old tradition in regards to the living arrangements. As for Narcissa, Severus had spoken very eloquently about how talented she was with Potions and how she would be a great teacher.

"Don't you worry about McGonagall," Lucius said to his wife. "I doubt she's going to be around much longer. I can't see her featuring in the plans Hermione has for Hogwarts."

"Neither can I," Narcissa said with a chuckle. "Although I could see you in Hermione's plans. I know you only agreed to take the job for a couple of years, but would you consider staying on?"

"I'd have to talk it over with my lovely wife," Lucius answered, giving Narcissa a smile. "She might not like me being stuck at Hogwarts for most of the year."

"You're hardly stuck up here," Narcissa pointed out. "We still saw each other almost every night last year, and this year we won't even have to spend one night apart."

The couple had already decided that if they needed to stay at Hogwarts overnight they would be using the room assigned to Narcissa. They both felt much more comfortable down in the dungeons, and over the last week, Narcissa had totally revamped the place and it very much felt like an extension of their own home.

"Is that your way of telling me to hang onto the job?" Lucius questioned.

"If you want it, then yes," Narcissa replied. "Let's be honest, you've enjoyed this teaching thing far more than you thought you would."

"True, it has been rather fun," Lucius said with a nod, thinking of how much of a buzz he'd gotten from the previous year. "But let's wait and see what this year brings."

"We can discuss it again next summer," Narcissa agreed. Pecking her husband on the cheek, she went to leave his embrace, but Lucius kept hold of her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To get ready for this evening," Narcissa replied. "The train will be here shortly."

"Not for another three hours," Lucius retorted. "Before that we need to christen our new room."

"I'm not sure," Narcissa whispered, eying the large bed behind her husband.

"Is this about your scars again?" Lucius asked softly.

Since Narcissa's accident the previous year she'd been left with scarring down her left side. Her left shoulder in particular was still badly scarred, and the scarring extended down her arm and onto part of her left side. Since the accident, Narcissa had taken to wearing long sleeves all the time and she'd even been hesitant of letting Lucius see her without her clothes on. Of course, to Lucius it didn't make a difference if Narcissa was a bit scarred, and he'd made sure Narcissa knew that, but even so there was still a hesitancy about her that had never been present before.

"I know they don't bother you," Narcissa said quietly. "But they bother me. All I see when I look at my arm and side is horrid red marks and I don't understand why they don't repulse you."

"They don't repulse me, because they're a part of you," Lucius said. "I don't look at your scars and get turned off, I look at them and I'm so very grateful to still have my wife. I'd rather have you alive with scars, then have you unblemished but dead."

"Really?" Narcissa asked.

"Really," Lucius confirmed, dropping his head and gently placing his lips over his wife's. "I love you, Cissa, scars and all."

"I love you too, Lucius," Narcissa replied. "Saggy bits and all," She added cheekily.

"I do not have saggy bits," Lucius spluttered in outrage. "And I'll prove it."

Before Narcissa could protest, Lucius had swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed where they proceeded to spend the next couple of hours christening the bed while Lucius showed his wife that his bits were anything but saggy.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Sitting in the Great Hall, Hermione cast a nervous look over at her boyfriend. Even from across the room the tension in Draco was evident, or at least it was to someone who knew him as well as Hermione did. Hermione had thought that her boyfriend had gotten over his anxieties about returning to school, but it had been clear when he turned up at their house early that morning that they were back with a vengeance. Draco had been tense throughout the journey up to Hogwarts, and being back in the castle hadn't seemed to have helped any. Unfortunately for Hermione, there was nothing she could do to ease Draco's nerves until after the feast when they got to explore their new rooms.

"Stop watching him," Harry hissed as he leant over and elbowed Hermione in the ribs.

"But I'm worried," Hermione replied in a whisper.

"I know, but watching him won't help," Harry pointed out. "Think of how much more tense he'll be with you and his parents watching him."

Glancing at the Professors table, Hermione found that both Narcissa and Lucius kept sneaking anxious looks over at their son. Turning back to Harry, she admitted that she could see his point. True, Draco was anxious, but it was only making it worse if she kept watching him along with his parents. What she needed to do was leave Draco to it and she could then check on him after the feast.

Vowing to forget about Draco, she focused on Harry and the other Gryffindors. Things were still good between Harry, Hermione and their fellow Gryffindors, with Ginny being pretty much the only exception. To be honest, Hermione hadn't even been sure Ginny would have returned to school, but she'd appeared at Platform Nine and Three Quarters with her two oldest brothers. Although, so far she hadn't yet acknowledged Hermione or Harry. In fact, she was very much on her own and if the first day was an indicator of what the year held for Ginny, she was in for a lonely year.

"Has anyone given any thought to what they're going to do after school?" Seamus Finnigan asked, drawing Hermione's attention away from Ginny.

"I'm joining the Ministry," Harry answered.

"Our new Minister, are you, Harry?" Dean Thomas joked.

"Maybe one day," Harry replied with a laugh. "But I have to start at the very bottom. What about anyone else, do you have plans?"

"I'm stumped," Seamus admitted. "I was hoping someone else could give me some ideas."

"Sorry, I'm fresh out myself," Dean said with a shrug. "I have no idea what I'm going to do."

"We do have all year to decide," Seamus said.

"Yeah, let's just enjoy this final year," Dean said.

While Dean, Seamus and Harry changed the subject to quidditch, Hermione turned to Neville who was sitting beside her.

"You're quiet, Neville," Hermione remarked. "You're not worried about the future, are you?"

"I'm not worried, but I guess we do have to start thinking about the future," Neville replied.

"I guess we do," Hermione agreed. "But your future could be sorted."

"How?" Neville asked with a frown.

"You're a natural herbologist, and I think you would make a great Professor," Hermione said. "You should think about taking an apprenticeship under Professor Sprout."

"Train to be a Professor?" Neville gasped. "But I'm not smart enough for that, Hermione."

"Nonsense," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "You know things about Herbology that no-one else in this school knows. You're definitely smart enough to teach Herbology. Think about it, Neville, and if it is something you want to do, I can ask Severus to help you."

"Professor Snape wouldn't want me teaching, he hates me," Neville said sadly.

"He doesn't hate you," Hermione said, even though she honestly didn't know what her brother thought of Neville. "He's just a grumpy git, and he's not actually as bad now he's headmaster and not teaching. I know for a fact that he'd love to have someone young and enthusiastic on the staff. In fact, I know he wants some younger staff. Just think about it, Neville."

"I will," Neville replied with a thoughtful nod as he turned back to his food.

Satisfied that she'd planted the first seed in Neville's head, Hermione refocused on her own dinner. Over the course of the year she had a few more people she wanted to sound out about becoming a future Professor, but for now she was going to enjoy the rest of the welcoming feast.

After the feast, Hermione said goodbye to Harry as her nephew headed off to Gryffindor Tower with the others. She then joined Draco outside of the Great Hall, and following the instructions they'd gotten off Severus, they headed to the third floor where they found the portrait of a flower fairy sitting in a giant rose.

"Freedom," Hermione announced, recalling the password her brother had given her.

At the password, the fairy flew off her flower and the picture swung to one side, revealing a wooden door. Pushing the door open, Hermione and Draco entered their new dorms. The common room they entered was pretty small, but there was enough room for a roaring fire, a comfy looking sofa, wooden coffee table and a desk and chairs to study.

"It's nice and cosy," Hermione remarked.

"Yeah," Draco replied shortly.

Hoping she could get Draco in a better mood before the end of the night, Hermione headed up to the bedrooms. The small stairway led to a passageway which held three doors. One was the joint bathroom, and while it wasn't as large or luxurious as the prefects' bathroom, it was still fairly decent. The two bedrooms were identical, with double beds, drawers, dressing table, and a desk and chair, with the only difference being the colour scheme. Draco's room was green and silver, while Hermione's was red and gold.

"I think I prefer this room," Hermione said as they stood in the green and silver room.

"It does work better than your room," Draco replied as he threw himself onto the bed without even removing his shoes and socks.

"I've got a present for you," Hermione said, hoping the surprise she had planned for their first night would help Draco's mood.

"What sort of present?" Draco asked.

"The sort you'll like," Hermione replied with a smile. "I'll just go and get ready. You make yourself comfortable."

"How comfortable?" Draco asked with a smirk. Suddenly, his anxiousness about being back at school was replaced with arousal.

"Put it this way, I want you in a lot less clothes," Hermione said, throwing Draco a mischievous grin as she turned and headed back across to her room.

While Hermione was gone, Draco quickly shed his clothes. Clad in only his black boxers, he settled back down on the bed to wait for Hermione, wondering just what she had in store for him. Five minutes later, Draco discovered just what his girlfriend had in store when she sauntered back into his room wearing a pair of knee high emerald green Slytherin socks, a quidditch top that just brushed the top of her thighs and her hair had been put up into pigtails. She looked both sexy as hell, and sweet and innocent and Draco loved it.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, holding her arms out and spinning around slowly to give Draco the full effect of her outfit.

Hermione's movement revealed two things to Draco. Firstly, the Slytherin top she was wearing was one of his as his name was splashed over the back. And secondly, when she moved her arms the top rode up and revealed that she was wasn't wearing any knickers.

"Draco?" Hermione prompted when her boyfriend remained quiet. Judging from the bulge in his boxers, he appreciated the sight, but he'd yet to say so.

"Come here," Draco ordered in a husky voice.

With a smile, Hermione climbed onto Draco's bed and straddled his lap. Immediately, Draco crashed their lips together as his hands wandered over Hermione's body. Within minutes the pair were happily rolling around the bed, and Draco's anxiety about being back at school was well and truly forgotten.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Just a warning that this chapter is a slight bit racy in parts. I personally don't think it warrants changing the rating, especially for one chapter, and I've read far racier T rated stories than what's in this chapter. However, I suppose if people are going to complain, I will be forced to change the rating even though I don't want to.**

* * *

Over the course of the first week back at Hogwarts, Draco began to relax. Even though his condition wasn't public knowledge, he'd been terrified that somehow everyone would know the second he returned to Hogwarts. He'd also been worried that he wouldn't be able to control himself around so many people and that he might lose his temper and reveal something, but the worries were proving unfounded. So far, school was the same as always, except now he had two parents teaching instead of just the one.

Even though it was a bit embarrassing to have two parents on the staff, Draco was pleased for Narcissa as she settled in easily enough and quickly proved herself to be every bit as popular as Beth had been the previous year. Lucius was still a love him or hate him Professor, but very few students had a bad word to say against Narcissa. Most students worshipped the new Professor, whether it was the boys with crushes or the girls admiring her fashion sense. Not that Lucius was without his fans, and Draco had been rather disturbed to hear two sixth year Ravenclaw witches discussing how sexy they thought his father was.

By the end of the first week, Draco was his normal self, but as the second week dawned he remembered that the full moon was on the Thursday. As the week progressed, Draco felt his connection with his inner wolf growing and by the Thursday, he felt as though he could transform at any minute. However, no-one but Hermione noticed the changes in him and he was able to go about his business as usual. And to be honest, Hermione had only noticed the changes in her boyfriend because she was sharing dorms with him and she was with him every day.

On the evening of the full moon, Draco made an excuse to his friends about having heaps of homework to do so they wouldn't disturb him. He was then ready to exit the head dorms an hour before the moon rose. It had already been decided that everything would be the same as the previous full moon, and that Greyback would be waiting for him we he got back to the manor.

"Are you nervous?" Hermione asked as she and Draco waited for Lucius to arrive so he could go back to the manor with Draco and check all the wards were in place.

"More anxious than nervous," Draco replied, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "I can feel the wolf itching to get out."

"I can't wait until I can be with you on a full moon," Hermione said.

"It'll still be a while before that happens," Draco cautioned. Even though Greyback thought he was a natural werewolf and would be able to handle human interaction soon, he was still planning on being extremely cautious where Hermione was concerned.

"That's fine," Hermione replied with a smile. "We don't need to rush anything."

Smiling at his girlfriend, Draco pulled Hermione into his arms and planted his lips over hers. What started out as a brief kiss quickly escalated and the couple were soon wrapped up in each others arms, their hands wandering over each others bodies as their tongues danced together. The pair were so caught up in each other that they failed to hear anyone entering the head dorms, until someone cleared their throat and they whirled round to find an amused looking Lucius standing watching them.

"And here was me thinking it was after the transformation that you would be horny," Lucius drawled to his son.

Draco rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on his father's remark. In actual fact after the last full moon, he hadn't felt any different. Yes, he desired Hermione, but then again he always desired Hermione. However, this time he had noticed that as the day had worn on, he'd been thinking a lot more about sex. Chances were if his father hadn't arrived when he had, Draco would have taken things further than a kiss with his girlfriend.

"Let's get going," Lucius said. "Greyback should be waiting."

"Have fun," Hermione said, pecking her boyfriend on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't miss me too much," Draco retorted, before stepping into the fire and disappearing, his father at his heels.

Sitting down on the sofa, Hermione waited for Lucius to return. Fifteen minutes later, Draco's father came back through the fire and reassured her that everything was in place at the manor.

"Greyback was already there, and all the wards are secure," He said. "Draco will have a great time."

"I'm sure he will," Hermione replied with a smile.

Despite his anxiousness about being back at school, there had been no denying the excitement she'd felt building in her boyfriend as the full moon had approached. It may not have been something Draco had ever planned, but being a werewolf was something he'd learnt to embrace and Hermione knew that he genuinely enjoyed the experience. Against the odds, Draco was a natural werewolf and even though he might not have been ready to admit it, he loved every minute of a full moon.

After Lucius left, Hermione wondered what to do now she was alone. Deciding she would only worry if she remained in the head dorms alone, Hermione headed off to Gryffindor Tower to see Harry. As Head Girl she had the password to the tower, so even though she no longer resided in Gryffindor Tower she could still come and go as she pleased.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted as his aunt entered the common room and joined him, Dean, Seamus and Neville beside the fire.

"Hi boys," Hermione replied, sinking into an empty seat. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," Dean said. "Bored of Malfoy's company, are you?"

"He's busy studying," Hermione said, using the lie Draco had told his friends. "Apparently I'm a distraction," She added with a pout. "Do I look like a distraction?"

"You could be," Seamus said as he and Dean shot Hermione admiring glances.

"Most definitely," Dean agreed.

"I bet you were nagging him," Harry joked.

"I do not nag," Hermione replied, giving her nephew a glare.

"Of course not, Aunt Hermione," Harry replied cheekily.

"Harry," Hermione warned in a hiss as the other boys began to laugh.

"Lighten up and play some cards with us," Harry said, laughing along with the others.

"Come on then little nephew, I'll totally humiliate you," Hermione returned.

"Bring it on," Harry replied.

With the other Gryffindors chuckling over the pair's competitiveness, the group settled down to play some cards. Up in Gryffindor Tower, Hermione didn't have time to think about Draco and it was only when she was heading back to the head dorms that she thought about her boyfriend again. Hoping he was having a good night, she got undressed and slipped under the covers of his bed as she drifted off to sleep, wishing Draco was snuggled up beside her.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Draco's second proper experience on the full moon was even more enjoyable than the first. Right from the start of the night, Draco embraced his inner wolf and he had a great time exploring the manor's grounds. Almost the entire night he was in full control, with the only blanks in his memory being the couple of times he'd hunted smaller animals. In fact the only reason Draco knew about the lapses was because of the animal carcasses he suddenly had in his possession.

When Draco mentioned it to Greyback following their transformation back into human form, Greyback hadn't been worried. In fact he'd promised Draco that on the next full moon they would focus on hunting and keeping Draco in touch with his wolf self while he hunted. Draco wasn't sure how he felt about trying to stay in contact with his wolf form while he hunted, but he knew it needed to be done before he could even think about having anyone he cared about seeing him in his wolf form. Until he was totally in control when he was in full bloodlust mood, it just wasn't safe to have Hermione or anyone else anywhere near him on a full moon.

Draco and Greyback were still discussing how they could help Draco maintain focus when he hunted as a wolf when Lucius appeared. After thanking Greyback, and arranging to see him the following month, Draco and Lucius flooed back to Hogwarts where they landed in the head dorms.

"No Hermione?" Draco asked, looking around for his girlfriend.

"I expect she's still in bed," Lucius chuckled. "Breakfast isn't for another two hours. So if you'll excuse me, I've got my own bed and my sexy wife to get back to."

"Too much information," Draco muttered, as he turned and wandered towards the bedrooms while his father left the head dorms.

Unsurprisingly, Draco found Hermione curled up in his bed, wearing just her bra and knickers. He stood for a moment watching her sleep, thinking about how much he loved her. However, the longer he stood watching her the more sexual his thoughts became. Unable to bear not touching her, he quickly shed his clothes and climbed into the bed next to his girlfriend.

"Hermione," He whispered, brushing his lips over her cheek as his hands circled her waist.

Despite his growing libido, Draco wasn't going to do anything before his girlfriend woke up. Luckily, it didn't take long for Hermione to begin to stir next to him as he continued to nuzzled against her and gently caress her.

"Draco," Hermione whispered sleepily as her eyes fluttered open.

"Who else were you expecting?" Draco chuckled, his grey eyes alive with amusement. As well as his sexual arousal, he was also feeling full of energy and he could see exactly what Greyback meant about being energised after a full moon.

"It's still early," Hermione said as she languidly stretched her limbs. "Or at least it feels it."

"The sun's up," Draco replied, his eyes never leaving Hermione's stretching body.

"You don't say," Hermione retorted, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. Obviously the sun was up, or else she would have had a beautiful grey wolf in her bed, not her gorgeous blond boyfriend. "So how was it?"

"Great," Draco replied with a grin. "Although, I am still blocking out when I hunt. Greyback says we can work on that next month."

"You can't expect to be an expert at everything straight away," Hermione said. "It was only your second real experience with a full moon. I'm sure with a few more, you'll be completely in control."

"It's not about control, it's about acceptance," Draco said, repeating something Greyback had said to him many times. "I'm not controlling my wolf side, I'm accepting it's who I am. And not just on a full moon, it's always there, lurking under the surface."

"Sounds dangerous," Hermione said with a smirk, as she reached out and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and pulled him down so their lips were only inches apart. "I do love a bit of danger."

"Is that so?" Draco muttered as he closed the tiny gap between their lips.

Without another word being exchanged, the couple shed their underwear and in the early morning light that streamed through the gap in the curtains, they made love. Despite being sexually active for over a year, they were both aware that there was something different about their love making that morning. There was something much more animalistic about it and there was a need for each other that neither of them had noticed before. They'd always wanted each other, but never before had they felt as though they needed each other in such an intense way.

In the end, the need overwhelmed Draco and in the heat of the moment he sunk his teeth into Hermione's shoulder. The action produced a mixed cry of pleasure and pain from Hermione, and scratching her nails down Draco's back, she climaxed intensely, with Draco following her over the edge.

"Wow," Hermione muttered as the pair lay tangled together, catching their breath. "That was intense."

"It was." Draco lifted his head to smile at Hermione, but his smile turned into a frown when he spotted the teeth marks in his girlfriend's creamy shoulder. "Shit. I'm so sorry, Hermione, I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Hermione said, glancing down at the wound. "It was hot as hell."

"But I shouldn't have bit you, not with my condition," Draco said.

"It's not like you're going to turn me into a werewolf," Hermione chuckled. "You can't turn anyone in your human form."

"No, but I can infect them with elements of the werewolf gene," Draco replied quietly. "Greyback was telling me about the people he's hurt while in his human form."

"I'm sure one bite won't do much harm," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Even so, we should take you down to the dungeons and get Mother and Father to check you out," Draco insisted.

Despite Hermione's protests, Draco got their way and the pair made an early trip down to Narcissa's office. Neither Lucius nor Narcissa were dressed when the pair arrived, and they just pulled their dressing gowns on as they checked Hermione's shoulder.

"It's completely fine," Lucius reassured his son. "I've had worse marks from your mother before."

"Lucius," Narcissa hissed, blushing slightly at her husband's insinuations.

"Can you remember the time you dug your nails into my backside so hard I had blood running down my legs?" Lucius chuckled, ignoring his wife's warning.

"If you're not careful I'll dig my nails into somewhere more painful than your backside," Narcissa warned.

"Thank you for that delightful insight into your kinky sex life, but can we focus on the matter in hand," Draco said. "Will Hermione have any adverse effects from the bite?"

"Isn't this the sort of thing you should have discussed with Greyback?" Lucius asked.

"I would have if I'd known I was going to bite Hermione," Draco shot back. "I don't know what happened. I just had to bite her, the urge was too powerful to stop it."

"The mating principal," Narcissa muttered to herself as she whirled around and went over to a bookshelf in the corner.

"The what now?" Draco asked as his mother scoured her bookshelf for something.

"I've been doing some reading since your transformation, and I found an old American book that was written by a werewolf who embraced his wolf form," Narcissa said. "The book was actually banned from the wizarding world two centuries ago, but copies of it still exists. I found one in the Malfoy vault buried with some other banned books."

"That's very nice, but what does this book say?" Draco asked as his mother returned with an ancient looking brown book in her hands.

"The wizard who wrote the book happened to have a fiancée at the time of his transformation," Narcissa explained. "He tried to push her away, fearing what he'd become, but she wouldn't let him."

"Sounds familiar," Draco said, smiling at Hermione.

"His fiancée was the reason he learned to accept his condition," Narcissa continued. "He wanted to prove his love for her was stronger than the curse he'd been inflicted with. By accepting he was a werewolf, he was able to stay in control when he transformed and he was never a threat to his fiancée. The pair later married, and lived a perfectly happy life together despite the fact that once a month he turned into a wolf."

"Nice story, but what does it have to do with me biting Hermione?" Draco questioned, growing impatient with his mother.

"I'm getting to that." Narcissa shot her son a glare that had him apologising and sitting quietly as his mother carried on with her speech. "The wizard who wrote the book did exactly the same thing, he bit his fiancée in the throes of passion. At first he was devastated, and refused to make love to his fiancée because he was worried about hurting her. But the longer he went without being with his fiancée, the more he wanted her so he set about trying to find an answer to their problems. His answer came when he looked into animals and found a lot of them bit their mates in the heat of the moment to mark them as theirs."

"So you're saying it's a territorial thing?" Hermione asked with a smirk. "Draco was marking me out as his."

"Essentially, yes," Narcissa replied with a nod. "The wizard who wrote the book found that the pull to bite his fiancée when they made love, was because of their deep connection. I'm sure if you spoke to Greyback, you'll find he's never bitten any of his lovers. The biting isn't about sex, it's about love."

"So this wizard just carried on biting his fiancée?" Draco asked sceptically.

"Yes," Narcissa replied with a nod. "He never bit her in his wolf form, so she never transformed into a werewolf. Both the wizard and his fiancée were perfectly accepting that it was merely a product of their intense love. The wizard called it the mating principal, and he believed the biting was a sign that two souls were destined to be together."

"And what about his fiancée? Did she suffer any side effects from the biting?" Hermione asked.

"She developed slight characteristics of a wolf," Narcissa replied. "Her hearing improved, as did her sense of smell."

"So pretty much the changes Draco has gone through in his human form," Hermione stated.

"Pretty much," Narcissa replied. "Here, take the book and have a read. But I wouldn't worry about the biting."

"Although, I would cover it up if I were you," Lucius advised. "McGonagall would have a fit if she saw that thing, and she would only try and cause trouble by saying it was unwise for the pair of you to be sharing dorms."

"Don't worry, my shirt will cover the bite mark," Hermione said as she got to her feet. "And thank you for the help."

"Any time," Narcissa said as her son and his girlfriend left her rooms and headed back to the head dorms.

"Do you feel better now?" Hermione asked Draco as they re-entered his bedroom and she placed the book on the bedside table for her to start reading that evening.

"Sort of," Draco replied. "Although, I'm not too sure how I feel about biting you ever time we're together."

"I don't know, if it's as intense as this morning, I'm not going to complain," Hermione said with a smile. "Seriously though Draco, don't worry. I can read the book, and we can wait and see what happens next time we're together. But I'm not going to turn into a werewolf, so let's not panic."

"Fine, I'll not overreact until you've read the book," Draco said.

"With all this excitement, the morning's flown over," Hermione remarked as she checked the time. "If we don't hurry up we'll be late for breakfast. Do you fancy saving some time and sharing my shower?"

"I doubt it will save time, but the answer is yes," Draco replied with a grin. "I just won't bite."

Chuckling happily, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and led him to the bathroom. Of course having a shower together didn't save them any time, but it did put even bigger smiles on their faces and when they went down to breakfast they were positively glowing. Although it did mean that Draco didn't have to worry about anyone getting suspicious of him being a werewolf as he was in high spirits all day, and after their experiences with Lupin, no-one would have thought that Draco had just spent the previous night running around as a wolf.


	11. Chapter 11

The first Hogsmeade trip of the new school year took place the second weekend in October. Thanks to the information Ginny had been feeding them since her return to Hogwarts, Bill and Charlie knew about the trip and were in Hogsmeade on research purposes. The pair had found a ramshackle old house perfect for their purposes, and using their savings they'd managed to purchase the house from the old witch who owned it. Bill had also been in contact with his former colleagues in Egypt, and he had some spells they could place on the cottage. Of course, they still weren't anywhere near ready to lure Voldemort into their trap, but they'd both decided to scope things out and try and settle on a target to help them get what they wanted.

Bill and Charlie hadn't mentioned their trip to Ginny, but they were both sure they would see their sister as they prowled the village. Not wanting to be seen, Bill and Charlie apparated into the back yard that belonged to Fred and George. Unfortunately, they'd arrived just as their brothers were bringing out some rubbish from some new stock they'd just had delivered.

"What are you two doing here?" Fred asked, eyeing his two older brothers suspiciously.

"Visiting," Charlie answered, not too convincingly.

"Visiting who?" George questioned.

"You two of course," Bill said.

"And is it a coincidence you happen to be visiting on the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Fred asked suspiciously. "You're in the village just as Harry and Hermione will be here."

"We don't care about either of them, we care about our family," Charlie said. "In case it escaped your attention, Ginny will also be in the village today."

"So now you've come to see Ginny," George snorted.

"We're not buying it," Fred added. "The three of you were thick as thieves over the summer. You're up to something."

"And what if we are?" Bill asked defiantly. "We've discussed this, and you know we can't just sit back and do nothing."

"We get that," Fred said. "But you also said you understood why we can't be a part of whatever it is you're planning."

"And we do," Charlie said. "We're not involving you."

"Make sure you don't," George warned. "We're going back inside. If you want to come and see us one day when the students from Hogwarts aren't in the village feel free. But whatever plans you've got for today, we want no part in them."

Bill and Charlie watched as their brothers headed back into their shop and closed the back door behind them. Sharing exasperated looks, the pair slipped out of the twins' back yard and into the back streets of Hogsmeade. Wandering the back streets, the pair watched as the students of Hogwarts trickled into Hogsmeade.

"So what do we think?" Bill asked as they prowled the streets, waiting for any signs of any of Voldemort's family.

"Harry and Hermione are the obvious targets," Charlie replied, knowing exactly what his brother was asking him. "But they're not the only options. Rosmerta could prove easier. She's in the village more than Harry and Hermione."

"But will he walk into a trap for Rosmerta?" Bill asked. "Harry's his grandson, and Hermione's his daughter."

"But Rosmerta is his daughter-in-law," Charlie argued. "She's still family, and he'll probably do it for his son. It's just a shame his wife isn't still teaching, she could have been a good target."

Ginny had informed them about Beth stepping down as Potions Professor and Narcissa replacing her, but they still didn't know why. Their sister hadn't been able to elaborate on why the change had happened, and they hadn't been able to find out anything for themselves.

"Maybe, but don't forget both Beth and Rosmerta are fully trained witches," Bill cautioned his brother. "Harry or Hermione could be easier to handle."

"True," Charlie conceded. "Let's watch them today, and see what sort of opportunities we can spot. I think it would be better if we could deal with as few people as possible."

"You won't get any arguments from me there," Bill said. "Whoever we target, we'll have to be able to get them away from the village without causing a stir."

As they continued to wander around the back streets of Hogsmeade, the pair finally got their eyes on Harry and Hermione. Unfortunately, the pair weren't alone, they were surrounded by people. Given what Ginny had told them they expected the pair to be accompanied by Draco Malfoy and possibly Daphne Greengrass, but they were also with another couple of boys and another two girls.

"If they're always going to travel in a pack like this, we can kiss goodbye to grabbing one of them," Bill muttered as they watched and the group showed no signs of going their separate ways.

"Maybe we're going to need Ginny's help," Charlie said. "Once we decide who we want, she might be able to help separate them from the crowd."

"It's worth a shot," Bill agreed. "Let's see if we can find her and have a talk with our little sister."

Abandoning their stalking of Harry and Hermione, the pair set about finding Ginny. For a while they wondered if their sister was even in the village, but then they spotted her sitting all alone on a bench on the outskirts of the village. Checking no-one was watching, the pair casually strolled out of the village and towards their sister. Not wanting to sit and talk where anyone could see them, they gestured Ginny to follow them as they strolled around the corner, and settled down on another bench out of the view of Hogsmeade. Now they would see anyone coming, and no-one could see them without alerting the trio to their presence.

"What are you two doing here?" Ginny asked as she gave her brothers a hug.

"Scoping out our potential victims," Bill answered.

"And what were you doing sitting all alone?" Charlie asked.

"Keeping a low profile," Ginny admitted. "All I want to do is confront Harry and Hermione, but I'm doing as you asked and keeping quiet."

"Don't worry Gin, they're both going to get what's coming to them," Bill reassured his sister.

"And we know how you can help," Charlie added.

"How?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"We've decided that we're going to use either Harry or Hermione as bait," Bill answered. "But from what we've seen so far, they seem to travel in a pack."

"You're telling me," Ginny snorted. "Since they've come out, they've been joined at the hip with the Slytherins. Although, at least I don't have to put up with Hermione this year."

"Why not?" Charlie asked.

"Didn't I tell you? She's shacked up with Malfoy in some sort of head dorms," Ginny said. "It's clearly just favouritism. Snape's obviously just done this because it's his sister. McGonagall clearly doesn't like it, but from what I can gather, she was overruled."

"They never had head dorms in my day," Bill mused. "I wonder what prompted the change."

"Like I say, favouritism," Ginny replied. "Maybe precious little Hermione can't handle the hate up in Gryffindor Tower."

"Are they really that unpopular?" Charlie asked. The impression Ginny had been giving them was that now Ron was gone, she was their only opposition.

"Not really," Ginny admitted. "I seem to be the only one who can see their true colours. Even Neville's been sucked in by them, and he has every reason to hate them. After all, the dark are responsible for what happened to his parents."

"That's Neville's problem," Bill said with a wave of his hand. "Let's us just focus on getting on with our plan."

"So how can I help?" Ginny asked.

"We need to decide which one to target," Charlie said. "In your opinion, which one will give us more trouble?"

"They're both pretty dangerous," Ginny replied thoughtfully. "But I think Hermione could be more dangerous. She does have a slightly darker edge about her, and then there's Malfoy."

"You think he's a threat?" Bill asked. He knew Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous son of a bitch, so it made sense that his son was every bit as dark.

"He could be," Ginny replied with a nod of her head. "But mostly, you won't get to Hermione without going through him. They're always together, more so this year than last. They're really protective of each other, and I can't see you getting Hermione alone to grab her."

"So Harry it is then," Charlie said.

"Still be careful, Harry's not the innocent he pretended to be," Ginny warned. "If anything, he's a better actor than Hermione. Until the truth came out, I never suspected there was anything bad about Harry. Every now and again, Hermione would lose her temper, mainly with Ron, and you got a flash of her darkness, but it never happened with Harry. Don't let him fool you into thinking he's not capable of being problematic."

"Don't worry, we won't be taking anyone for granted," Bill reassured his sister. "Now the question is, can you help us get Harry away from his friends."

"I can try, but your best bet might actually be using Daphne," Ginny suggested. "Harry's mad about her, and say she went missing while they were in Hogsmeade, he'd go searching for her."

"So we could use her to lure Harry, then use Harry to lure his grandfather," Bill mused.

"Sounds convoluted," Charlie muttered.

"I guess we'll work out what works best on the day," Bill said. "But be prepared Ginny. When everything's set up and we're ready to go, we'll let you know and you can inform us of the suitable time to strike."

"I'll be waiting," Ginny replied with a wicked smirk.

She couldn't wait to help her brothers in their plans, and she would love it even more if Harry knew she was responsible for his capture. After all, what would be better than seeing Harry's face when he realised that he was in deep trouble, and it was all down to Ginny?

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Wandering through Hogsmeade with their friends, Harry and Daphne kept falling back from the group as they spoke quietly between themselves. The pair had spent a lot of time together over the summer, and Harry had made a big splash with Daphne's family, and they both knew their relationship was becoming more serious by the day. Since being back at school, they'd still spent most of their free time together, and they'd yet to grow sick of each other's company.

"Do you know it was a year ago that we had our first date?" Harry asked as the pair strolled around the village hand in hand.

"Roughly," Daphne replied. "The date was different, but it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year."

"A whole year," Harry said with a low whistle. "Who would have thought I'd have been dating the sexiest witch in school for a whole year."

"The sexiest witch in school?" Daphne laughed. "You can't possibly mean me."

"Of course I do," Harry replied, coming to a stop and turning Daphne to face him. "You're gorgeous, Daphne, and I can't believe you're mine."

"The feeling is entirely mutual," Daphne replied with a smile. "I can't believe I've got such a hot boyfriend."

"Don't we make a good pair, hot and sexy," Harry joked. "But seriously Daph, you mean the world to me."

"And you mean everything to me," Daphne whispered, leaning up and pressing her lips against Harry's.

Not caring that they were standing in the middle of Hogsmeade, Harry wrapped his arms around Daphne and deepened the kiss. Daphne eagerly responded to the kiss, and they only broke apart when they became aware of their friends clapping and cheering.

"Get a room," Draco called.

"Okay then," Harry replied with a smirk before turning to his girlfriend. "Do you fancy getting out of here and heading back to the castle? Maybe we could spend the rest of the day together."

"I'd like that," Daphne replied with a soft smile.

Saying goodbye to their friends, Harry and Daphne headed back up to Hogwarts. After deciding they wouldn't get any real peace if they stayed out in the grounds, plus it was getting a bit chilly, the pair headed indoors. Since Draco and Hermione had their own rooms, they didn't need either the secret room in the library or the magical room that transformed into whatever they wanted, Harry and Daphne had their choice of room.

"Which one?" Harry asked when they reached the library.

"The other one," Daphne said. "And let me summon the room."

"Got something in mind, have you?" Harry asked with a chuckle as he let Daphne lead him further up the school.

When they reached the private room, Harry stood to one side while Daphne sorted the room she wanted. When the door appeared, Daphne poked her head into the room to check it was what she wanted. Satisfied with the room, she turned back to Harry and taking hold of his hand she led him into the room.

As they entered the room, Harry took in what sort of room his girlfriend had conjured. The room was medium sized, with romantic candles floating in the air. However, Harry's eyes were glued to the large four poster bed in the middle of the room. The bed was the only item of furniture in the room, and Harry couldn't help but wonder about his girlfriend's intentions.

"Don't look so worried, Harry, I'm not going to force myself on you," Daphne chuckled. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"But you want to?" Harry asked, nervously licking his lips.

"I do," Daphne confirmed. "I love you Harry, and I'm ready."

"I love you too," Harry replied in a soft voice as he pulled Daphne into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss. "And I'm ready too."

Sharing another tender kiss, the young couple made their way to the bed, where they settled down to get to know each other a little bit better. Several hours later, they'd thoroughly gotten to know each other better and they couldn't wait to continue their exploration of the new sexual side of their relationship.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry hummed jauntily to himself as he made his way to the head dorms. Harry was off to see Draco and the pair were going to spend some time catching up and just hanging out. Since their return to school at the beginning of September, Harry felt as though he'd barely seen his best friend, and it was now the first week in November. Harry had just been so caught up with his romance with Daphne, especially their recent new development, while Draco had been busy with head duties and Hermione. However, Hermione and Daphne were studying together in the library, meaning a boys night was on the cards.

When Harry reached the head dorms, Draco answered the door and after giving his best friend a quick tour of the head dorms, the pair settled down on the sofa in the common room to talk.

"So what's it like having your own rooms?" Harry asked.

"It's good," Draco replied. "It certainly beats sneaking around in the middle of the night to see Hermione."

"Yeah, dating someone from a different house once things get serious is pretty tricky," Harry agreed.

"And how serious are you and Daphne these days?" Draco questioned with a knowing smirk. His friend had never once mentioned taking his relationship with Daphne further, but Draco just got the impression things had progressed between them when he watched them together.

"We're very serious. I love her," Harry answered.

"Wow. Love is pretty big," Draco said with a low whistle.

"I hope you're not implying that I can't love her because we're only young," Harry said, bristling slightly. "We're the same age as you and Hermione, and you two love each other."

"I never said you couldn't love her, Harry," Draco soothed. "I just said it was big thing. It took me a while to admit I loved Hermione."

"It took you an eternity to even admit you fancied her," Harry laughed, remembering how stubborn his best friend and aunt had been about their feelings. "Let's face it Draco, I'm better at feelings than you are."

"True," Draco conceded with a nod. Even though he was pretty open with the people he cared about, he still wasn't as free and open with his feelings as Harry, or Hermione for that matter. "So, you and Daphne are in love. Does that mean you've professed your love in a physical way?"

"Professed our love in a physical way?" Harry scoffed. "Are we living in medieval times here?"

"Fine. Have you slept together?" Draco corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"We have," Harry confirmed, unable to help the smug smirk that broke over his face at the admission. "It was great, and that's all I'm going to say on the matter. I don't want to discuss my sex life."

"Only because you don't want me to discuss mine," Draco chuckled.

"True," Harry agreed with a nod. "I'd rather not hear about what turns my Aunt on."

"No, you'd never be able to look at her in the same light again," Draco joked.

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco, knowing his friend was just trying to get a rise out of him. "So how are things going with the wolf thing?" He asked, swiftly changing the topic.

"The wolf thing?" Draco chuckled, amused by Harry's phrasing.

"Yeah, you've had two full moons since school started, haven't you?"

"I have," Draco confirmed with a nod. "And it's going pretty well. We're working on making sure I don't black out when I'm hunting. At the minute, I keep blanking when I'm hunting in my wolf form and Greyback says that until I can remain in control at all times, it's too dangerous to have people around me in my wolf state."

"He wants you to hunt?" Harry questioned, his nose wrinkling in distaste.

"Hunting is a natural part of being a werewolf, I just need to fully accept that part of my nature," Draco answered with a shrug. "We're hoping by the new year that I've got enough control to start thinking about exposing me to people."

"By people I take it you mean Hermione?"

"At first. Greyback thinks she could be the best place to start as we have a strong connection. But eventually, the plan is to get me so acclimatised to being a wolf that I can be around anyone and have full control. Unless, of course people are too scared to be around a dangerous wolf."

"You don't scare me, Draco," Harry laughed, knowing just what his best friend had been implying. "Just say the word and I'll be there at the full moon to stand by your side."

"Thanks, Harry," Draco replied, giving his friend a genuine smile. Despite the joking nature of the conversation, he knew that under the banter lay solid support from his best friend.

"Any time, little wolf," Harry replied with a smirk.

"Make that big wolf," Draco retorted, giving Harry a dangerous grin. "There's nothing small about me."

"I'll have to take your word for that," Harry laughed.

"Just ask Hermione, she'll back me up," Draco said.

"I don't think so," Harry replied with a shake of his head. "Let's leave the girls out of things for now and talk about the important stuff."

"Like?"

"What do you think? Quidditch," Harry laughed. "You need to prepare yourself for another loss, Draco. The cup is ours this year."

"I don't think so," Draco replied. "We're not going to let you win again. Slytherin win will the cup this year."

With talk of girls and werewolves left behind, Draco and Harry lost themselves in quidditch talk. After discussing the upcoming matches they would be playing over the coming year, they turned their attention to the league and the fact the world cup would be taking place in a few months' time. The pair got so caught up in their talk, they didn't realise how much time had passed until Hermione entered the head dorms.

"That was quick," Harry remarked, slightly annoyed that his evening with Draco had been cut short.

"Quick?" Hermione frowned at her nephew. "We've been studying for hours. Curfew's in half an hour."

"Really?" Checking the time, Harry was shocked to find his aunt was right, the time had just drifted away and he'd been in the head dorms for a few hours.

"Although, don't let me spoil your fun," Hermione said as she put her bag down beside the desk and removed her cardigan. "I'm going for a shower."

"Maybe Harry should leave and I can come and scrub your back," Draco offered with a sinful smirk.

"Maybe," Hermione replied, walking over to her boyfriend and leaning over to give him a kiss.

Harry rolled his eyes at the couple, and moved his head so he didn't have to watch the pair of them slobber all over each other. However, as he moved his head, Draco brushed Hermione's hair over her shoulder and a red mark on Hermione's shoulder caught his attention where her blouse had slipped from her shoulder as she bent over.

"What's that?" He demanded with a frown.

"What?" Hermione asked as she stood back up. As she did so, her blouse settled itself back into place and the red mark was no longer visible.

Jumping to his feet, Harry grabbed Hermione's collar and yanked her blouse away from her shoulder. "That," he spat, pointing at the red mark on his aunt's shoulder.

"It's none of your business, Harry," Hermione said as she pulled herself out of her nephew's clutches and straightened her clothes.

"It looks like you've been bitten," Harry protested. With a gasp, a horrifying thought entered his head and he turned to face his best friend. "Tell me you haven't done that?"

"Harry, leave it," Hermione said firmly.

"Tell me," Harry yelled at Draco, ignoring his aunt and focusing on the blond Slytherin. "Tell me you're not stupid enough to bite Hermione."

"It's not what you think, Harry," Draco said as he got to his feet. "I've never been near her in my werewolf form."

"But you have bitten her?" Harry demanded. "You're sick. You're supposed to love her, and yet you're biting her. I just can't believe this."

"It's none of your business, Harry," Hermione said. "I'm in no danger."

"No danger? He's a sodding werewolf, Hermione," Harry yelled. "How do you know he's not slowly turning you into one?"

"Because we know he's not," Hermione argued. "We've read a book."

"And that makes it all okay," Harry snarled. "Wake up the pair of you, this isn't some game. It's irresponsible for him to be biting you at all."

"You're right," Draco said quietly.

"Draco," Hermione protested. "Don't listen to him, he doesn't know the full story."

"It doesn't matter though, he's still right," Draco said. "I shouldn't be biting you. All we've got to say it won't affect you is some banned book my mother found. It's not proof, it's just the ramblings of a wizard attempting to justify biting the witch he claimed to love. And I'm doing the same thing. Instead of getting myself under control, I've bit you twice now and claim it's because I love you. If I loved you, I wouldn't bite you."

"You don't love me now, is that what you're saying?" Hermione demanded angrily.

"That's not what I'm saying," Draco said. "I do love you, Hermione, more than anything. And that's why, this needs to stop until I've got control. Until I can be sure I won't bite you, I can't put myself in that position. I'm sorry, but I won't hurt you. It's over."

"Draco," Hermione called as her boyfriend turned away from her and headed towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms.

"Don't Hermione, this is for the best," Draco said, turning back to look at Hermione one final time, before he hurried up the stairs and into his bedroom.

"Are you happy now?" Hermione hissed, turning on Harry and fixing him with her most deadly glare.

"I never meant to cause trouble," Harry said, feeling guilty for what he'd just witnessed, and the speed in which it had all happened. He'd never meant for Draco to end things with Hermione, but he couldn't just sit back and let him continue to bite his aunt.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Hermione asked, her voice brimming with anger. "You've just set him back months. Do you not think he felt bad the first time he bit me?"

"I'm sure he doesn't mean to hurt you, but you have to see that it's dangerous," Harry argued.

"I don't care," Hermione yelled. "Yes, what we've read might be wrong and the bites I get from Draco might start affecting me, or even change me in the long term, but I still don't care. In case you've forgotten, Draco is a werewolf because of me. He got bitten protecting me. So I really don't care if he wants to bite me when we're making love. In fact, I love it."

"Your kinks aside, it's just too dangerous," Harry protested. "I won't let you do this."

"It's got nothing to do with you, Harry," Hermione said in a low voice. "Now go away before I do something I can't take back."

"Hermione," Harry pleaded, reaching out for his aunt.

"Go," Hermione hissed, backing away from her nephew. "And you better hope I can get through to Draco. I swear, if I've lost him because of you, I'll make you regret it."

"I'm sorry," Harry offered as he backed away from his aunt, knowing there was no point talking to her until she calmed down. "I was just looking out for you."

Without a second glance at her nephew, Hermione stalked out of the room. Harry listened as she climbed the stairs and knocked on Draco's door, begging her boyfriend to talk to her. When it became clear that Draco wasn't going to open the door, Harry slunk away feeling incredibly guilty. He'd never meant to cause so much trouble, and he just hoped it could be fixed. He didn't want to lose either his aunt or his best friend, but something told him that if he wasn't careful, he could do just that.


	13. Chapter 13

Severus was feeling slightly nervous as he set the table in the dining room. Despite it being the middle of the school term, he and Rosmerta were expecting all the family for dinner. Normally, he wouldn't dream about letting Harry and Hermione leave school just to have dinner with the family, but it was a special occasion. He and Rosmerta had an announcement to make, and they wanted the entire family to be present.

Severus had also asked the Malfoys to attend dinner, and he was hoping that it wasn't a bad move. Over the last week, he watched as his son, sister and godson had barely spoken to each other. Something had happened between the trio, and he didn't have a clue what. He'd spoken to Lucius and Narcissa about the rift, but they also claimed to be clueless, although Severus suspected they did know something more than they were telling him. All he could do was hope that whatever was going on between the three teenagers didn't ruin what was a big evening for he and his wife.

"Maybe we should have waited," Severus said to his wife as he headed into the kitchen to check on Rosmerta. "Christmas break is only five weeks away."

"I thought you wanted to tell people," Rosmerta argued.

"I do, but given the way things are with the kids, I can just see this dinner descending into chaos," Severus confessed with a sigh.

"And you still don't know what the problem is?" Rosmerta checked.

"Not a clue," Severus said with a rueful shake of his head. "I've tried asking Harry, and he says everything is fine. Draco says the same and Hermione just says it's none of my business. But it's just so strange, the three of them have been friends forever. I don't know what could have happened to have come between them. And it's not like it's two of them have fallen out with the other one, they're all distant from each other. I actually saw Draco walk away from Hermione the other day."

"I'm sure they'll work it out," Rosmerta said reassuringly. "As you say, they've been friends for too long to let something come between them."

"Let's hope you're right," Severus muttered as he heard the floo sound from the front room.

Leaving the dinner for a moment, Rosmerta accompanied her husband as they went to greet their guests. Voldemort and Beth were the first to arrive, and they were followed moments later by Harry, Hermione and Draco, who were accompanied by Lucius and Narcissa. Severus had connected the floo to Lucius's office for the evening, so there was really no need for any of the other staff to even realise Harry, Hermione and Draco had left the school grounds.

"Thank you for the invite, Rosmerta," Narcissa said as she greeted their hostess.

"Although, am I right in guessing there's a reason for this dinner?" Voldemort questioned.

"All in good time, father," Severus said. "Now, who would like a drink?"

As Rosmerta headed back into the kitchen to check on dinner, Severus handed around the drinks. As he did so, he noticed the atmosphere between the three teenagers was still tense. All three of them were sitting stiffly, not talking to one another. Although he did note that Draco was making sure not to catch Hermione's eye, while she was throwing her boyfriend longing looks out of the corner of her eye. As for Harry, he just kept watching the pair of them guiltily, and Severus even thought he'd saw his son try to catch Hermione's attention, only to have her blatantly turn away from him.

"How's school going?" Beth asked, also noticing the distance between the normally close trio.

"Great," Harry said with a smile that looked forced.

"Hermione?" Beth pressed when her daughter didn't answer. It was very unusual for Hermione not to be the one enthusing about school. "How are you finding it being Head Girl?"

"It's okay," Hermione answered with a shrug.

"And you two are managing to live together without incident?" Voldemort asked, directing his question to Draco.

"We're fine," Draco answered shortly.

"Hmm," Voldemort hummed, sharing a meaningful look with his wife. Something was going on between the trio, and he was determined to find out what by the end of the evening.

"Dinner's ready if you want to move to the dining room," Rosmerta said, poking her head back into the room before Voldemort had a chance to question the three teenagers further.

A few minutes later everyone was settled in the dining room, and Rosmerta served dinner. She'd made a beef casserole with dumplings, and when she dished it out she made sure everyone had nice big portions.

"This is delicious," Beth said as she took a bite of her casserole. "Did you make this yourself, Rosmerta?"

"I did," Rosmerta replied with a smile. "I like to cook, and with spending less time at the pub, I've had more time to expand my repertoire."

Since returning from honeymoon, Rosmerta had kept her manager at The Three Broomsticks. She was still at the pub fairly regularly and oversaw things, but she'd taken a step back from the day to day running of the pub. It meant she had more time for Severus, and the pair often spent their evenings together, rather than him being at Hogwarts while she was down in Hogsmeade.

"I do hope the beef isn't too overcooked for you, Draco," Rosmerta said to the blond who was picking at his meal.

"It's lovely," Draco said, giving Rosmerta a weak smile.

"It really is a delicious casserole," Lucius said.

"Very nice," Narcissa added with a nod. "I often wish I could cook, but I never had the chance to learn."

"I can give you some pointers if you like," Rosmerta offered. She doubted Narcissa had even set foot in a kitchen with the intention of making something to eat given her privileged background.

"I'd like that," Narcissa said with a smile.

"Maybe it's something the three of us can do together," Beth offered. "I've never been a big one for cooking, but I have to admit this pregnancy has got me feeling more domesticated. I've spent the last month, redecorating our bedroom and now I'm going to start on the nursery."

"Do you know if you're having a boy or girl yet?" Lucius asked.

"We haven't found out," Voldemort replied. "Like with Hermione, we're going for a surprise."

"We knew we were having a boy when we had Draco," Narcissa said. "Abraxas insisted that we find out just so he could be sure we were having a boy. I think he would have had a fit if I'd been expecting a girl."

"Luckily, we're not bothered about the sex of the baby," Voldemort said with a chuckle. "We've already got one of each, so there's no pressure either way."

"Speaking of babies, Rosmerta and I have an announcement to make," Severus said, after sharing a look with his wife that told him it was time to speak.

"Please say this is what we think," Beth gasped excitedly.

"If you think that we're expecting a baby, then yes, it's what you think," Rosmerta announced with a smile. "I'm pregnant."

"We think it happened on honeymoon," Severus added.

The announcement was met by jubilation from all the adults at the table. Even though they'd all expected the announcement, it was still great news. The three teenagers were all slightly quieter, but when they offered their congratulations it was clear that all three of them were thrilled for Severus and Rosmerta.

"So now we've dealt with the good news, how about you three tell us what's wrong," Voldemort said.

"Nothing's wrong," Hermione said quietly.

"Don't lie to me, Hermione," Voldemort said sternly. "Something is going on, and we want to know what."

"Yes, we do," Severus agreed. "And the three of you are not leaving until you've told us the full story."

"It's private," Hermione pouted, putting down her knife and fork as she finished her dinner.

"There's no such thing as private when it comes to family," Voldemort said. "After dessert the three of you will tell us what's going on."

Voldemort's threat hung heavy in the air as Rosmerta served forest fruit crumble for dessert. Even so, it didn't stop people enjoying their dessert and both Severus and Lucius had seconds. However, once dessert was over and Rosmerta cleared the table, everyone returned to the front room and attention was firmly on the three teenagers.

"Well, who wants to start?" Voldemort asked when no-one was forthcoming.

"I guess I'll go," Harry said, glancing at Hermione and Draco and deciding that neither of them were going to speak first.

"Of course you will," Hermione muttered. "It's all your fault anyway, sticking your nose into other people's business."

"I'm sorry for caring," Harry snapped at his aunt.

"Stop it the pair of you," Draco snarled as he suddenly got to his feet. "This is my fault, so I should be the one to explain."

"This isn't your fault, Draco. You've done nothing wrong," Hermione protested. She'd been saying the same thing for the last week, but her boyfriend was stubborn and he was convinced that it wasn't safe for her to be around him until he could control himself.

"I have," Draco said, addressing Voldemort. "After the last two full moons, I've gone back to Hogwarts early on the morning and taken Hermione to bed."

"Draco, I don't think we want to hear this," Beth interrupted. She could remember what Greyback had said about his increased libido, and she didn't want to hear tales about what her daughter and her boyfriend had been up to.

"You need to know," Draco insisted. "I haven't just taken Hermione to bed, I've bitten her. I never meant it, but I just couldn't help myself."

A heavy silence fell in the room as Voldemort and Beth turned to their daughter with questions blazing in their eyes. Slowly Hermione nodded her head and pulling her shirt away from her neck she revealed the red bite mark on her shoulder.

"You've bitten her," Severus stated in a low, angry voice.

"Don't blame Draco," Hermione warned, jumping to the defence of her boyfriend. "He can't help himself. We've looked into the biting thing, and it's called the mating principle."

Hermione quickly briefed her parents and brother on the book Narcissa had given them and the information they'd found out from it. As she spoke, she could see the anger leaving the faces of her family, although there was still a wariness about them.

"So what has this got to do with the tension between the three of you?" Beth asked.

"Harry saw the bite mark, got on his high horse and yelled at Draco, causing Draco to dump me," Hermione explained.

"I did not dump you," Draco said softly, looking hurt at Hermione's words. "I just said we couldn't be together until I can be sure I won't bite you again."

"But you'll never be able to stop the biting," Hermione argued gently as she took hold of her boyfriend's hands. "It's a mate thing, it'll keep happening."

"Then we can never be together in the way you want us to be," Draco said quietly as he removed one of his hands from Hermione's grip and ran his thumb down her cheek. "I won't be with you, if I'm going to hurt you."

"But you're not hurting me," Hermione argued. "Or at least you're not hurting me with the biting. This, right now, is hurting me. You pulling away from me is hurting me."

"It might hurt now, but it's better in the long run," Draco said sadly as he removed his other hand from Hermione's and took a step away from his girlfriend. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever turned you. Let me go, Hermione, it's the best way."

"Never," Hermione whispered fiercely as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I should get back to school," Draco said. "Severus, Rosmerta, congratulations on the baby. You're both going to be great parents."

"Draco, don't," Hermione pleaded as her boyfriend grabbed some floo powder.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered, before stepping into the fire and disappearing in a whirl of emerald flames.

"This is all your fault, Harry," Hermione seethed, turning to her nephew. "If you hadn't interfered, this wouldn't be happening."

"I never wanted Draco to end things, I just wanted him to stop the biting," Harry argued.

"He can't," Hermione cried. "It's part of him being a wolf. You're supposed to be his friend, and be there for him, so how do you think this makes him feel? You're turning against him because of his wolf nature. Well, I won't do that. I don't care what anyone says, I love Draco and we are going to be together. I don't care if he bites me, and I don't even care if he turns me into a werewolf, all I want is for us to be together."

"Calm down, Hermione," Voldemort soothed. He'd listened to everything that had been said, and while he wasn't thrilled at the idea of Draco biting Hermione, it did appear that it wasn't something he had any control over, and as such he didn't want to judge and drive the blond boy away.

"I'm sorry Daddy, but I'm not letting this one go," Hermione said. "I love Draco, and we will be together."

"I'm sure you will be," Voldemort agreed with a nod. "But I daresay rushing after him and pushing him won't help you any."

"It won't," Lucius agreed. "You know how stubborn he is, Hermione. We need to give him time."

"But if we give him time, he'll pull further away from me," Hermione protested. "He freaked out the first time he bit me, but I persevered with him and we got through it. He was just starting to feel comfortable with his wolf side, and everything that came with it, and now thanks to Harry, he's back at square one."

"You can't blame Harry for this," Severus said gently. "He was just looking out for you. In his position, I would have reacted the same way."

"Plus you never told me about this mating thing," Harry argued. "I still don't think he should be biting you, but you could have told me why he was doing it."

"But it's none of your business, its no-one's business but ours," Hermione argued. "I'm the one he's biting, therefore, I'm the only one who gets to say if he needs to stop or not."

"You can't expect us to be happy about this, Hermione," Beth said carefully, not wanting to fuel her daughter's anger any further. "You're our daughter."

"And you've known Draco his entire life," Hermione protested passionately. "You know there's nothing he wouldn't do for me. He's a werewolf because he saved my life. You all need to trust him, and you need to make sure he knows you trust him. So what if he bites me once a month, it doesn't change the fact that he loves me and he'd do anything for me. I might be your daughter, but Draco is as good as family, and aren't we supposed to trust family? You lot need to prove you trust Draco, before it's too late and he does something we all regret."

Leaving her stunned family in Severus's front room, Hermione congratulated her brother and his wife again before she headed back to Hogwarts. Harry watched his aunt go, the guilt overwhelming him. Hermione was right, and he knew he'd messed up by implying to Draco that he didn't trust him. His best friend in the entire world was going through something no-one could understand, and instead of being there for him, he'd jumped on him and yelled at him for something that was beyond his control.

"How do I fix this?" Harry whispered.

"By doing as Hermione said, and showing Draco you trust him," Voldemort answered. "Something we're all going to have to do. As much as it might make us uncomfortable, we're going to have to leave the biting issue to Draco and Hermione to sort by themselves."

"What if she ends up being turned?" Beth asked worriedly.

"She won't," Lucius said with confidence. "We've read the book, and done some additional research. Hermione is completely right about her being safe with Draco. He would never hurt her, and this biting thing is an expression of love. We now just need to get Draco to see that, because if I know my son right now he's beating himself up over this, thinking he's hurting Hermione."

"Leave it to me," Harry said. "I caused this mess, and I need to fix it. I need to do whatever it takes to get them back together."


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione groggily reached out to stop her alarm on her wand, contemplating rolling over and going back to sleep. However, when she remembered the reason she had set her alarm so early, she practically leapt out of bed. It was the morning after the full moon, and the previous evening Draco had gone off to the manor for his transformation. The previous two times he'd returned following the full moon, he'd been raring to go sexually and Hermione was planning on using his increased libido to try and fix things between them. Maybe if she could get him into bed and make him forget about his worries, she could get him to finally listen to sense and get him to see that ending their relationship wasn't the way forward for either of them.

Rushing into the bathroom, Hermione had a quick wash and brushed her teeth before heading back into her room to get dressed, or rather undressed. Hermione slipped into a lacy black and red push up bra and matching knickers, before spritzing herself with a perfume she knew Draco loved. She then made her way into her boyfriend's bedroom and settled herself on his bed.

Since Harry had interfered, nearly two weeks ago, Hermione hadn't been in Draco's room, but she was pleased to find nothing had changed. Even though he'd ended things, and given her back anything he felt she would need from his room, he hadn't totally eradicated her from his room. In fact she could still see several of her belongings lying casually around the room, and a framed picture of the pair of them taken at Severus and Rosmerta's wedding, still had pride of place on his bedside table.

Hermione's attention was soon drawn from the picture on Draco's bedside table when she heard movement from the common room. Calming her nerves, Hermione waited for Draco to come into his bedroom. Sadly, when her boyfriend did enter the room, she didn't get the response she'd been hoping for. Yes, his grey eyes had flicked appreciatively over her body and she saw the tensing of his jaw, but he made no move to approach her.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" He bit out through gritted teeth.

"What does it look like?" Hermione asked, gesturing to her scantily clad body. "I'm waiting for you."

"Why? What are you hoping to achieve?"

"An orgasm or two would be nice," Hermione quipped. "But what I really want is my boyfriend back. I want him to love me the way he used to."

"You know I love you, Hermione," Draco growled. "And you know that's why I can't join you in bed."

"All I know is that you're being stubborn," Hermione pouted as she jumped off the bed and stalked over to where Draco was still standing in the doorway. "What I know is that you've let one moment of rashness from Harry ruin everything. We were fine before we stuck his nose in."

"We were just pretending to be fine," Draco argued, unable to stop himself from gazing at Hermione's exposed skin and remembering what it was like to touch her. "We were just pretending it was normal that I bite you."

"But it is normal for you," Hermione argued. "At least it's normal for you now that you're a wolf."

"But I'm not a wolf at the minute though, am I?" Draco snarled. "I know it's always a part of me, but I need to control it better when I'm with you."

"I don't want you to control it, I love that side of you," Hermione protested, advancing on Draco and pressing her practically naked body against his. "I love your inner wolf," She whispered, nuzzling at his neck.

"Hermione," Draco ground out, using all his willpower not to reach out and drag her to bed as he was so desperate to do.

"You can't say you don't want this," Hermione continued, running her hand down Draco's front and rubbing over his obvious arousal. "I know you want me, Draco."

"Of course I want you," Draco said passionately as he held back a low growl as Hermione continued to tease him. "I've always wanted you."

"Then take me," Hermione pleaded, looking up at Draco with her soulful brown eyes.

Looking down at Hermione, Draco felt his resolve weakening and despite himself he lowered his lips to hers. The second their lips touched, weeks of pent up frustration exploded out of them, and the clung hungrily onto each other as they staggered back towards the bed. Hermione didn't even have time to revel in getting Draco back, as their passions took over. He tore her underwear off her while she ripped his t-shirt and trousers off him, and within seconds they were both naked.

"I've missed you so much," Hermione panted as Draco hovered over her.

"Me too," Draco said quietly.

Leaning forward he connected their lips in a searing kiss before he began kissing his way down her neck, before freezing as her scent entered his nose and he felt the urge to bite spring up on him. The urge hit Draco with a thud and realising he wouldn't be able to refrain from biting Hermione, he hurriedly moved away from his girlfriend and got off the bed.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, hurt pooling in her brown eyes.

"I can't," Draco answered in a tight voice. "Just leave Hermione."

"For crying out loud, just bite me if that's what you need to do," Hermione cried, not moving from Draco's bed.

"No, I won't," Draco answered as he turned away from Hermione. Grabbing his clothes, he headed off to the bathroom. "Just go, Hermione," He called, before slamming the door shut behind him.

Feeling the tears of frustration and helplessness pooling in her eyes, Hermione hurried back to her room without bothering to pick up her underwear. Through her tears she threw on some clothes and yanking on her boots and jacket, she ran from the head dorms. Even though it was still ridiculously early and it was November and the air was freezing, Hermione still headed outside and sat down beside the Black Lake, where she buried her head in her hands and began to cry.

Hermione was still sitting out beside the lake, although the tears had long since stopped, a few hours later when Harry suddenly appeared behind her. Without saying anything her nephew removed his own coat and wrapped it around his freezing aunt. He then joined her on the cold grass and stared out at the dank and dreary looking lake.

"I'm sorry," He ventured eventually. Over the last few days, since their family dinner, Harry had been trying to put things right between Hermione and Draco, but Hermione wouldn't talk to him and Draco was adamant he was doing what was best for Hermione.

"So am I," Hermione replied in a whisper. "Everything's ruined Harry, and I don't know how to fix it," She confessed in a broken voice.

"It'll be okay," Harry soothed, pulling his aunt closer to him as he gave her a hug.

"It won't," Hermione sobbed. "Draco won't back down. I've lost him, Harry."

"No, you haven't," Harry insisted firmly. "I won't let this happen."

"It's too late for that, it's already happened," Hermione snorted as she suddenly pulled away from Harry and glared at him. "Thanks to you."

"I know, I'm to blame here and that's why I'm going to fix things," Harry said.

"You can't fix things, Harry," Hermione spat as she got to her feet.

"Watch me," Harry replied. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed Hermione by the hand and started to drag her back to the castle.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hermione demanded, trying to break free of Harry but finding her nephew had too strong a grip on her hand. "Where are you taking me?"

"To fix the mess I created," Harry answered.

A few minutes later, Hermione knew where Harry was taking them as he reached the head dorms. Hermione got them entry with the password and when they entered the common room, Harry finally let go of Hermione. However, before she even had a chance to open her mouth to complain, he'd shot a spell at the door, making it so that no-one but him could open it again.

"Sit down," He ordered sternly as he turned towards the bedrooms. "Draco," He called loudly. "Draco, get your arse out here, now."

As Hermione sat down she didn't think Draco was going to show his face, but when Harry continued to make a fuss, the blond Slytherin reluctantly put in an appearance.

"What's going on?" He asked warily.

"I'm going to fix the mess I created," Harry said, grabbing Draco and practically throwing him at Hermione. "Now sit down."

"You can't just order us about, Harry," Draco said snappishly.

"I can and I am," Harry replied with a shrug. "I will use force if I have to. Now sit down Draco and we can talk about this like adults."

"There really is nothing to talk about," Draco insisted as he sat down next to Hermione.

"Yes, there is," Harry said, perching on the coffee table opposite the couple. "First of all, I need to apologize. I was out of line with everything I said the other week. You're my best friend, Draco, and I trust you implicitly. I know you would never hurt Hermione."

"Except I have," Draco whispered. "You were right Harry, we were being careless and selfish. Just because the biting felt right, doesn't mean it was right. I never should have put Hermione in such a position."

"Excuse me, but I am here," Hermione interrupted. "And you didn't put me in any position I didn't want to be in. Do you really think you could have bitten me more than once if I hadn't wanted you to? If you were doing something I really disapproved of, I would have stopped you."

"She's got a point," Harry said with a soft smile. "Hermione would have hexed your balls off if you'd done something she wasn't comfortable with. I should have understood that before I made my mouth go."

"Just because you didn't object, doesn't make it right," Draco said, turning to face Hermione. "You might not mind if I bite you, but I mind. I don't want to do that to you."

"And if that was the case, you would have stopped after the first time," Hermione argued. "You were fine with it, until Harry caused a fuss."

"I was never fine with it," Draco admitted. "I just didn't want to lose you. I carried on even though I wasn't sure, because the alternative was to stop and lose you. I should have been stronger. I should have stopped this before it even got this far."

"Before it got this far," Hermione whispered, understanding beginning to dawn on her. Draco's recent actions wasn't anything to do with the biting, he was just using that as an excuse to end things because of his condition. "You don't want to be with me anymore, do you?"

"I do," Draco answered. "But we all know it's better for you if we call it a day. We all knew it over in the summer, but we just didn't want to face it. What sort of life can I offer you, Hermione?"

"The life I want," Hermione replied as Draco got up and wandered over to the window. "All I want is you, Draco. I don't care about anything else."

"You will in time," Draco said sadly, not turning back to face his girlfriend. "My condition is a secret now, but it won't be forever. Sooner or later people are going to discover I'm a werewolf, and when they do, I'll be treated differently. You'll be treated differently as my girlfriend. We'll never have a normal life."

"We were never going to have a normal life," Hermione snorted. Getting to her feet and walked over to her boyfriend and spun him around to face her. "In case it slipped your attention, I'm the daughter of The Dark Lord. My life will never be normal. No matter what I do, or what my father does, there will always be people who'll hate us. People will treat me differently because of who my father is, and you'll be treated differently because you're with me."

"That's different," Draco argued. "Some people might not like who you are, but they wouldn't dare ostracise you."

"And no-one would dare do the same to you," Hermione said fiercely. "I wouldn't let them. Together we can prove that being a werewolf isn't a bad thing. We can prove that just because you're part wolf, doesn't mean you're a monster. We can re-educate the world."

"I wish it worked like that," Draco said with a sigh.

"Why can't it?" Hermione asked. "The only person stopping things being that way, is you. I know you think you're trying to do the honourable thing by me, but you're not. It's not honourable to break the heart of the witch you love."

"I don't want to break your heart," Draco confessed.

"Then don't," Hermione urged, taking hold of Draco's hand. "Let me back in Draco. Let us deal with everything that comes our way together. Stop running and let me help you."

"Please, Draco," Harry said softly as he watched the couple. "Don't let one foolish remark from me ruin the rest of your life. You two are meant to be together, we all know that. Wolf of not, you're the best wizard for my aunt. No-one will ever be able to love her as much as you do, and no-one will ever love you as much as she does."

"He's right you know," Hermione said. "We're meant to be together, no matter what life throws at us."

"I don't want to hurt you, Hermione," Draco whispered. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

"I've told you, the biting doesn't hurt. If anything, I love it. I love the way you stake your claim on me," Hermione said. "I'm yours, Draco, and nothing can change that. You can bite me all you like, you can even turn me and nothing would change."

"I don't want to turn you," Draco argued. "I admit, I love being a wolf, but I don't want that for you. I want you to have a normal life, or as normal as your life can ever be."

"Prove it," Hermione said with a slow smile. "Give me a normal life by marrying me."

"What?" Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head at Hermione's suggestion, and sitting on the coffee table, Harry's reaction was almost as shocked.

"Marry me," Hermione repeated.

"We can't just get married at the drop of a hat," Draco protested.

"I'm not talking about right now," Hermione laughed. "I meant once we finished school. We can get married and live the most normal life we can manage being the daughter of The Dark Lord and a werewolf."

"And what about your family?" Draco asked. "I can't see them wanting you to marry a werewolf."

"Yes, we do," Harry called happily. "We all want you both to be happy. Say yes, Draco."

"Well?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Draco answered.

With a squeal, Hermione launched herself at her boyfriend, almost knocking him off his feet. "I love you Draco."

"I love you too, Hermione," Draco replied as he buried his head in Hermione's hair. "But if we're doing this, we're doing it right. I need to speak to your father, and if he agrees to our union, I can propose properly."

"Are you saying my proposal wasn't proper?" Hermione demanded with a teasing glint in her eye.

"It was hardly traditional," Draco returned.

"Damn the traditions," Hermione snorted. "I'm a modern girl, and if I want to propose to my boyfriend, I bloody well can."

"I think my work here is done," Harry said with a grin as he got to his feet. "And I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"Don't be," Draco answered. "You just triggered something that was always going to happen. I was always going to try and save Hermione from a life with a werewolf."

"And I was never going to let you get rid of me," Hermione said, wrapping an arm around Draco's waist. "You need to accept that I want a life with a werewolf."

"Even if you can, and probably should, do better," Draco said.

"Draco," Hermione warned in a low voice.

Leaving the couple to it, Harry left the head dorms feeling slightly better. He doubted things would instantly go back to how they were, and he suspected that Draco and Hermione still had some issues to get past, but at least things were back on track. Things were getting back to how they should be, and he was hoping that the drama was all behind them and the rest of the year would be plain sailing.


	15. Chapter 15

Along with the rest of Hogwarts, Ginny watched in fascination when the dark trio of Hermione, Harry and Draco seemed to have some sort of major falling out at the beginning of November. Since she'd started school, Ginny couldn't remember ever seeing Harry and Hermione fall out, and since the truth about them had been revealed, they'd been as thick as thieves with Draco. However, for a couple of weeks relations between the trio were distinctly frosty and Ginny could count on one hand the number of times she saw the threesome interacting with each other.

Ginny had hoped whatever was happening was something she and her brothers could capitalise on, and she'd immediately wrote to them informing them of the falling out. Bill and Charlie had been eager to hear of the falling out, and they'd asked their sister to keep them updated. Sadly, it was only a couple of weeks before Ginny was writing back to her brothers and informing them that whatever had happened between the trio, it seemed to have been fixed. One morning Draco and Hermione came into breakfast together as though nothing had happened and the friendship between the couple and Harry looked to be back on track.

Despite the brief hope of using the falling out to their advantage, Bill and Charlie had quickly moved past the disappointment and came up with a plan they'd told their sister about. The plan was very simple really, and all Ginny needed was to get hold of some of Daphne's hairs before the final Hogsmeade visit of the year. Not knowing how difficult it would be, Bill and Charlie had given their sister plenty of notice about their plan, so she'd had several weeks in which to procure the hairs. In the end it had been a simple task of walking past her while she was studying in the library, and plucking a few long blonde strands of hair from her cardigan that was hanging off the back of her chair.

On the morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Ginny was awake bright and early and after getting dressed and having an early breakfast she was among the first students who left the castle. Since it was the last trip of the term, and the last chance for people to buy any Christmas presents from the village, Ginny expected the village to fill up quickly so she wanted to find Bill and Charlie as soon as possible and find out the fine details of the plan. Her brothers had told her to meet them at the same bench outside of the village where they'd spoken last time, and when Ginny arrived she was pleased to find them both waiting for her.

"How's things?" Bill asked his sister.

"They'll be better once we've dealt with Harry, Hermione and their family," Ginny answered. "I'm just so sick of everyone carrying on as though nothing is happening. It's as though no-one cares You-Know-Who is taking over our world."

"Some people just like an easy life," Charlie said with a shrug. "And I have to hand it to the dark, they've played a smart game this time around. Most people won't fight, because they haven't seen anything to fight against."

"How about killing Dumbledore?" Ginny spat. "And Ron. We all know he was killed."

"We do, but the official line is something very different," Bill gently pointed out. "And as for Dumbledore, a lot of people are just putting that down to You-Know-Who settling some old scores. If things had continued to be violent, we would have had a lot more support, but as it is, no-one wants to be the ones seen to be causing the trouble."

"Sometimes I wonder why we even bother," Ginny said with a sigh as she settled herself in between her two brothers. "Here we are trying to save the wizarding world from tyranny, and no-one cares."

"You have to fight for what's right, Gin. Even if you're the only one fighting," Bill said.

"Or in this case, the only three," Charlie added. "You're not wanting to back out, are you?"

"Of course not," Ginny said determinedly. "Let's do this. So what's the plan?"

"Simple," Charlie answered with a grin as he pulled a small vial of potion from his pocket and handed it to his sister. "It's polyjuice potion, so add the hairs you've taken from the Greengrass girl." Charlie waited until his sister had done as directed, and had safely tucked the vial into her pocket before continuing. "You need to watch Harry and his girlfriend. The second they're separated you take the potion, charm your clothes to look like what she's wearing and approach Harry. We want you to lure him to the alley behind the Hog's Head."

"Can you manage that?" Bill checked with his sister.

"Of course I can," Ginny answered with a smirk. "What happens when we reach the alley?"

"Bill and I will be waiting, and we'll take it from there," Charlie answered. "Once we've got Harry, you keep out of sight until the polyjuice potion wears off, and then you get yourself back to school before anyone realises Harry is missing."

"I do hope you're going to make him suffer," Ginny remarked as she got to her feet.

"Oh, he'll suffer," Bill vowed in a dark voice.

Feeling an excited shiver run down her spine at the thought of Harry suffering for all his betrayal, Ginny turned and headed back into the village. Even though she wanted to find Harry, she didn't want to seem suspicious so she wandered the shops, pretending to be browsing the Christmas gifts, until she spotted her former friend. As usual, he was with his group of friends. As she watched them, laughing and joking, Ginny had to stop herself from marching over and giving Harry and Hermione a piece of her mind. It still riled her how easily they'd slipped into their true dark natures, and it was as though all the years they'd spent as Ron's friend had meant nothing to them.

Ginny slyly watched Harry and his friends for over an hour, and in that time she memorised Daphne's outfit. The longer she watched, the more Ginny thought her opportunity to grab Harry alone was going to come when they went for some dinner, but ever so slowly the group started to disperse. First Theo and Padma went their separate ways, and then Blaise and Luna headed off, until it was just Harry and his girlfriend, and Hermione and Draco. Although, her hopes really started to rise when Draco and Hermione peeled off from Harry and Daphne.

"The Three Broomsticks at half twelve," Harry called after his aunt and best friend as they slunk off together.

"We'll be there," Draco called back.

"Perfect," Ginny whispered to herself as Harry was left alone with Daphne.

Ginny was hoping that as the couple browsed the shops that they would split up, possibly to buy presents for each other, and twenty minutes after they'd been left alone, the couple did just that. Ginny watched with revulsion as the pair shared a steamy kiss in the middle of the street, before Daphne wandered into the quidditch shop. With a dopey smile on his face, Harry ambled across the street and stopped to look in the jeweller's window.

When Harry went into the shop, Ginny saw her opportunity. In the shadows of Honeydukes, she pulled out the polyjuice potion and downed the foul tasting liquid in one gulp. Practically gagging at the taste, Ginny quickly regained her composure and stuffing the bottle back into her pocket she altered her clothes to look like the ones Daphne was wearing before striding over to the jewellers, all the while keeping an eye out to make sure the real Daphne stayed in the quidditch shop.

"Harry," Ginny purred, pouncing on Harry the second she spotted him in the doorway of the jewellers.

"That was quick," Harry said with a chuckle. "Did you not buy anything?"

"That's for you to find out," Ginny replied, shooting him a smile that she hoped was flirtatious. "Did you buy anything?"

"That's for you to find out," Harry parroted with a grin.

Ginny forced herself to giggle as she took hold of Harry's hand and began to pull him away from the quidditch shop. Ginny half expected Harry to question what she was doing, but he was happy enough to let her lead him through the streets of Hogsmeade. In fact, he didn't stop her until they'd nearly reached The Hog's Head and she tried to tug him into the alley where her brothers would be waiting.

"Where are we going, Daph?" Harry asked, halting what he thought was his girlfriend.

"It's a surprise," Ginny purred, trying to sound seductive and not sure if she was managing it in someone else's body.

"In a dingy alley?" Harry asked sceptically.

"It's dark and we'd be alone," Ginny said persuasively.

"I can think of better places to be alone," Harry murmured.

"Are you scared?" Ginny asked, deciding to try and different tactic.

"And what would I be scared of?" Harry laughed. "I'm The Dark Lord's grandson, Daph, nothing scares me."

"Then prove it," Ginny said with a smirk. "Come into the alley and let's have some fun."

"If it's fun you want, then fun you shall have," Harry replied with a grin.

Before Ginny could respond, Harry surged forward, dragging her into the alley. Before she even got a chance to look around for her brothers, Harry pinned her against the wall and his lips were on hers. Despite the fact she detested him with every fibre of her being, Ginny found herself responding to the breath-taking kiss, and she couldn't help the whimper that fell from her lips as Harry's right hand ghosted over her body and settled on her breast. When Harry pulled away a few seconds later, Ginny found herself disappointed, but then she spotted his face and apprehension washed over her. He wasn't looking at her with any sort of love or affection, the look on his face was pure malice.

"You're not Daphne," He stated menacingly.

"Of course I am," Ginny replied, her eyes darting around for her brothers but finding no sign of them.

"You're not. I know my girlfriend, and you're not her," Harry snarled. "Who are you? Ginny?"

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything she spotted Bill and Charlie silently emerge from the shadows behind Harry. Instead of trying to deny who she was, she let her face break out into a smug smirk.

"You caught me," She laughed. "But I fooled you."

"As if," Harry snorted. "I know when I'm kissing a cheap tart like you."

"But yet you followed me into a dark alley," Ginny responded, ignoring his crack about her being a tart. "You weren't too bright there, Harry."

"I can take you in a second," Harry laughed.

"Probably," Ginny agreed with a nod. "But what about my two big brothers."

Ginny laughed as Harry's eyes bulged in shock, and reaching for his wand he spun around. Unluckily for Harry, Bill and Charlie were all ready for him and their wands were already pointed at the younger wizard. Before Harry had even had a chance to pull his own wand from his pocket, Bill and Charlie had cast simultaneous stunning curses at him. Harry went down with a thud, his green eyes blazing in anger as he stared up at the three Weasleys.

"Funny, I expected more fight from the grandson of The Dark Lord," Bill mocked.

"You have to hand it to Ginny, she kept him distracted perfectly," Charlie said.

"She did," Bill agreed. "Although I could have done without the kissing."

"You and me both," Ginny muttered, trying to ignore the fact her kiss with Harry had been the best kiss of her life. "Now what happens?"

"We leave," Bill answered as he reached down and grabbed Harry by the collar. "Be careful Gin."

"Don't worry about me, you two go," Ginny urged her brothers.

"See you soon, Ginny," Charlie said with a grin, before the pair vanished with a pop, taking Harry with them.

Not knowing how much longer she would look like Daphne, Ginny remained in the alley hoping that no-one spotted her. Luckily no-one did spot her and the second she felt herself turn back to normal, she readjusted her clothes, hurried out of the alley and after grabbing a bag of sweets from Honeydukes she headed back up to the castle. When Ginny reached Gryffindor Tower, she was pleased to find it was only half past twelve. Chances were, it was only now that people were realising Harry was missing, and here was she back up at the castle and well away from Hogsmeade and whatever drama would unfold there over the coming hours.

* * *

 **A/N - I just want to thank everyone for their support of this story, and I'm glad that the vast majority of people are still enjoying COTD (Although why people who have a problem with the direction I've taken this story are still reading is beyond me). Anyway, just to let people know that there won't be another update to Children until next Friday - which will be the 30th. I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and hopefully in the New Year when I get back down to my writing, I can finish Children and finally let you all know how many chapters there will be in this final part. Merry Christmas, and thanks again for your wonderful support.**


	16. Chapter 16

After Harry's interference in their relationship, both in creating the problem and then helping fix it, Hermione and Draco began to get things back on track between them. The first thing they did was sit down and for the first time, they really talked about the fact Draco was a werewolf. Draco admitted his insecurities about his condition, and again he expressed the fact that he thought Hermione deserved better than him. In return, Hermione reassured Draco that he was who she wanted, and nothing would change that. By the end of their conversation, they'd vowed to keep talking and to speak about their concerns, rather than bottling them up and pretending as though they didn't exist.

The only sticking point came when they discussed the biting issue which had brought their problems to the surface. Draco was adamant that it wouldn't be happening again, and he would do whatever it took to control himself when he was with Hermione. Hermione tried to convince Draco that the biting was just part of who he was now, but he wasn't having any of it and he insisted that there would be no biting at the next full moon.

The last full moon of the year was due to fall a few days before the end of term, and unbeknown to Draco, Hermione had spoken to Narcissa to see if there was some sort of potion they could brew to help protect her from any side effects of the biting. Narcissa hadn't been sure, but she'd thrown herself into research and promised to get back to Hermione once she had some answers. Until she knew if such a potion existed, Hermione had decided not to mention it to Draco, but she was hoping that if one existed then it would be of some help in convincing Draco to carry on as they had been until Harry's interference.

With the biting issue put to one side for the time being, Draco and Hermione enjoyed the feeling of being back together and they were back to spending as much time as possible with each other. On the last Hogsmeade trip of the weekend, they headed down to the village with all their friends, but they were more than happy when it was decided that the various couples were going to go and do their own thing before meeting up for lunch.

After leaving Harry and Daphne to enjoy the rest of the morning together, Draco and Hermione wandered around the village watching as their fellow school mates got some last minute Christmas shopping done.

"Is there anywhere special you want to go?" Draco asked his girlfriend.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied with a shrug. "My Christmas shopping is all in hand."

"Of course it is, little miss organised," Draco laughed.

Hermione playfully glared at Draco as they carried on walking through the streets. With no specific plans to visit any particular shops, they wandered in and out of shops as the feeling took them. Eventually they ended up outside of the jewellers and Hermione stopped to take in the display of diamond rings.

"That one is lovely," She said, pointing to a delicate white gold ring with an understated diamond cluster.

"It is," Draco agreed. The ring Hermione was pointing to was by far the classiest on display. "You're not dropping hints, are you?"

"Technically we are engaged," Hermione said with a smile.

"Technically, I haven't yet asked your father's permission," Draco retorted.

"But that's merely a formality," Hermione argued. "I proposed, and you accepted."

"I did," Draco agreed. "But that is not going to be our official engagement. Until I propose, with a ring, we're not engaged."

"Spoil sport," Hermione pouted as her boyfriend took hold of her hand and pulled her away from the jewellers.

"Come on, it's nearly time to meet the others for lunch."

Heading into The Three Broomsticks, Draco ordered some drinks while Hermione grabbed them a table beside the window. From the seat the pair were then able to watch as their friends approached the pub to join them. First to arrive were Blaise and Luna, and they were followed by Theo and Padma. However, it was ten minutes after the time they'd agreed to meet up before Hermione spotted Daphne hurrying towards the pub, although for some strange reason she was alone.

"Ditched Harry, have you?" Draco chuckled when Daphne rushed over to them.

"Is he not here?" Daphne questioned with a frown.

"Why would he be here, he was with you, wasn't he?" Hermione asked.

"He was," Daphne replied, nervously biting her lower lip. "I wanted to go and buy his present without him nosing, so I popped into the quidditch shop alone. I've been looking for Harry ever since, assuming he was close by, but I can't find him."

"He won't have just left you," Hermione said, getting to her feet as panic started to creep in.

"No, he has to be around somewhere," Draco agreed as he also got up. "Let's split up and search the village. We'll meet back here in ten minutes."

"Is ten minutes enough to search the village?" Theo questioned.

"Not thoroughly, but it'll be long enough for us to decide if something sinister is going on," Draco answered.

Abandoning their drinks the group headed outside. Deciding it would be better if they all searched solo as they could cover more ground, everyone went in a different direction. Ten minutes later the group reconvened, all of them seriously concerned as none of them had seen anything of Harry. Even Draco's advanced hearing and sense of smell hadn't helped him, although he wasn't sure if he could maybe trace Harry's whereabouts if he could get a good whiff of something of his best friends and follow the scent.

"We need to get back to the castle and alert someone that Harry is missing," Hermione announced, taking charge of the situation.

"Is Rosmerta not around?" Blaise asked. "Surely she could get a message to Snape quicker than we could get back to the castle."

"She's at home," Hermione answered. "I haven't actually seen any adults around, so at least a couple of us need to head back to the castle and report Harry missing. The rest of us can stay here and broaden the search."

"I'll go back to the castle," Daphne volunteered.

"We'll come with you," Padma offered, volunteering herself and Luna to accompany the Slytherin witch back to Hogwarts.

"And we'll start advancing the search," Blaise said.

"Hurry," Hermione urged her nephew's girlfriend as she turned and headed back towards the castle with Padma and Luna. "Where do you think we should start?" She asked her boyfriend as Blaise and Theo headed off to continue searching the village.

"I need something of Harry's," Draco confided in a low voice. "I think I can track his scent."

Hermione thought for a second, before remembering her nephew had given her back a book he'd lent a few months previously that morning and it was in her bag. Pulling the book out she handed it to her boyfriend as they headed to the quidditch shop, where Daphne had last seen Harry.

"Well?" Hermione prodded as Draco stood holding the book, trying not to look suspicious as he tried to focus on Harry's scent.

"I've got it," Draco said with a nod as he began crossing the street to the jewellers. "Although, there's another scent mingled with his."

"Do you recognise it?" Hermione asked, knowing her boyfriend was getting better at recognising people by their scent as he was becoming more attuned with his wolf side.

"I think it's partly Daphne," Draco said with a frown as he followed the scent down the street.

"Only partly?" Hermione questioned.

"I'm not even sure on that to be honest," Draco admitted, lapsing into silence as he focused on following the scent.

Less than five minutes later, Draco led Hermione down the alley behind The Hog's Head. Coming to a stop, he looked around as he tried to carry on following the scent, but he realised that it had gone. Harry had gone no further than the alley behind the dingy pub almost all of the students avoided.

"Now what?" Hermione asked, wondering why they'd stopped.

"Nothing," Draco answered. "He was here, but I can't track him any further. He either double backed on himself, or he left the village from this spot."

"Harry wouldn't leave the village," Hermione insisted.

"Not of his own free will," Draco said in a quiet voice.

"He's been snatched," Hermione said, finally voicing that thought that had been drifting through her head since Daphne had mentioned Harry was missing. "I knew we should have gotten rid of all the Weasleys. They're behind this, you can guarantee it."

"And if they are, they'll be dealt with," Draco said to his girlfriend. "Don't do anything stupid, Hermione."

"Whatever I do, it won't be stupid," Hermione vowed dangerously.

Knowing there was nothing more they could do in the alley, Draco and Hermione headed back into the main part of the village. Just as they arrived on the main street, Lucius and Narcissa apparated into view. Sprinting over to Draco's parents, the couple quickly filled them in on what Draco had discovered.

"And you're sure?" Lucius checked.

"As I can be," Draco replied. "I'm still just learning stuff like this, but I would swear any sort of magical trace would lead you to the same place."

"We can do one of those, but it helps if we know where to start from," Lucius said. "Good job, Draco."

"Where's Severus, is he not coming?" Hermione asked.

"We convinced him to inform your father of the situation before joining us," Narcissa said. "But now we want you two to get all the students back up to the castle."

"But we want to help," Hermione argued.

"You are helping, Hermione," Lucius said. "We can't launch a proper search with students milling around the place. We need to get everyone back up to Hogwarts where the other staff can take control while we search for Harry. Now get going before your father arrives and there's a panic."

Knowing Lucius was right, Hermione pushed aside her own worries and switched into bossy head girl mode. With Draco at her side the pair began rounding up the students and sending them back to the castle. Anyone who dared to argue got the sharp end of their tongues, and within an hour every student who had been down in Hogsmeade was heading back up to the castle. Even Blaise and Theo had headed back up to the castle, hoping against hope that Harry would turn up and that nothing too bad had happened to him.

With the last of the students shooed from the village, Hermione and Draco returned to the alley where they found the adults. Voldemort and Severus had joined the Malfoys, and both wizards looked absolutely furious.

"Any sign?" Hermione asked nervously.

"No," Voldemort answered with a shake of his head. "But Draco was right, this was the last place he was in the village. Thank you Draco, you've given us our starting point."

"So what happens now?" Draco questioned.

"We try our best to trace Harry, but it won't be easy," Severus said in a hollow voice. "Since he's seventeen, the magical trace for underage magic won't work. We can try using some sort of blood magic, but unless whoever has taken him is an idiot, it will likely get us nowhere."

"It has to be the Weasleys," Hermione insisted. "Who else would do this?"

"I tend to agree, but if it is them, they've been awfully clever about it," Voldemort said with a frown. "I've been keeping an eye on the two older ones as much as possible, and there's been no sign that they've been planning anything untoward. Either they knew they were being watched, or they're smart."

"Possibly a bit of both," Hermione said. "I'm guessing after what happened with Ron they'll be expecting us to keep an eye on them, and both Bill and Charlie are clever."

"We can worry about who has Harry when we find him," Severus interrupted. "Right now, we need to find my son."

"We will, Severus, we will," Voldemort promised, his face a mask of determination as he set out to find his missing grandson and wreak revenge on whoever had the audacity to snatch a member of his family.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Harry was fuming as the two eldest Weasleys bundled him away from Hogsmeade. Even though he'd been stunned, they'd done it in such a way so that it was more like he was caught in a body bind. He couldn't move or talk, but his mind still worked and he was as angry as he'd ever been.

From Hogsmeade they arrived in the countryside somewhere remote and all Harry could see from his limited viewpoint was a ramshackle old cottage. It was clear the cottage was their destination, as Bill and Charlie carried him into the cottage and plonked him unceremoniously on the sofa. Harry glared at the pair, just waiting for them to release the spell on him.

"You know it's rather tempting to leave him like this," Bill chuckled.

"It is," Charlie agreed. "Although it's the perfect pose for our first picture."

Harry frowned in confusion, until Bill produced a copy of the morning's Daily Prophet and propped it up beside his prone body. When Charlie then pulled out a camera and snapped a few pictures, Harry began to get a clearer picture of what the pair were planning. They'd kidnapped him for ransom. Either his father or his grandfather would receive the pictures, along with some demands. Although what either of the Weasleys expected to achieve was a mystery to Harry as he thought they were smart enough to realise that by taking him they had just signed their own death warrants.

"Now Harry, we're going to be leaving now," Bill said with a smirk. "Don't worry about the spell, it'll wear off in half an hour or so."

"And there's no point trying to escape, because you can't," Charlie added. "You're stuck, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Harry continued to glare at the pair, but he was unable to move as they left the cottage the same way they'd entered it. True to their word, the spells did begin to wear off after half an hour, and Harry was soon up and about. The very first thing he did was try and apparate out of the cottage, but unsurprisingly, nothing happened. However, he wasn't one to be deterred and he set about trying to find a way of manually escaping the cottage.

An hour later, Harry's optimism about a fast escape had vanished, and in its place was a worrying feeling that the Weasleys had him exactly where they wanted him. Not only was the cottage tightly locked up, meaning there was no means of escape, but more worryingly, Harry found his magic wasn't working. Not one spell he'd tried, not even the most basic ones had worked. He didn't know if there were just wards preventing him from doing magic, or if the spells they'd hit him with had done something to him. Personally, Harry was hoping for the former as he really wanted the chance to cause some pain to the two wizards who had kidnapped him, not to mention Ginny.

After establishing there was no escaping, Harry checked that there was food and drink in the cottage and that he wouldn't starve to death. Satisfied he would survive, Harry turned his thoughts to what would happen next. He had no doubts that his family would rescue him, it was just a case of how long it would take them to find him. Harry was just hoping that it wouldn't be long, and that he would be safe before Bill and Charlie got much chance to carry out any more of their fiendish plan.


	17. Chapter 17

Fred and George had been enjoying a very productive day of sales when they realised that something was afoot in the village. In a matter of minutes their shop had gone from being bustling with students, to virtually deserted. A quick glance into the streets showed that the village in general seemed to be getting evacuated.

"What's going on?" Fred called across the street to the wizard who ran a shop selling stationary. Like the twins he was also at the door of his shop, wondering where his customers had gone.

"Not a clue," The wizard shouted back. "One minute I had customers, the next minute they began to leave the shop."

"Maybe it's some sort of emergency up at the school," George mused as they watched as the few students they could see headed towards the castle.

"Either way, it's ruined our day," Fred grouched as the twins returned to the shop. "We could have made a fortune today. Hogsmeade weekends are always our big weekends, and with this one being the last before Christmas, it could have made us a fortune."

"There's nothing we can do but carry on and hope our customers return," George said diplomatically.

"I guess so," Fred agreed with a weary sigh as he went back to work.

For the next half hour the twins stacked shelves and sorted their stock, but the only customers they had were people not associated with the school. Eventually even the other customers dried up, and for the first time since they'd opened their shop in Hogsmeade, Fred and George found themselves with an empty shop and no customers in sight.

"Why do I get the feeling we're missing something important?" Fred asked with a frown. "It's one thing for the students to disappear, but what about the other shoppers. We haven't had a customer for nearly ten minutes."

As if to prove him wrong, the door to the shop suddenly opened and two wizards entered the premises. However, it was immediately clear that the two men were not customers and they proved it by flashing their badges identifying themselves as Aurors.

"Is there a problem?" George asked warily. Despite the problems with their family, the twins had never had any conflict with the dark and the Ministry, and they wanted to keep it that way.

"We're investigating a missing student," The first Auror answered. "We're putting the village on lockdown so we can begin our search. I'm afraid you're going to have to close the shop."

"Of course," George answered with a nod.

"We also want to search the place and ask you a few questions," The second Auror said. "Don't worry, you're not being discriminated against, we're shutting every shop and searching it," He added with Fred opened his mouth.

"Who are you looking for?" Fred asked. As long as everyone in the village was getting treated the same way, he had no problems with helping the Aurors.

"Harry Snape," The first Auror said. "Have either of you seen him today?"

"No, he doesn't visit the shop much," George answered, a bad feeling building in the pit of his stomach. If it had been almost anyone else who was missing, he wouldn't have thought twice about it, but he couldn't help but fear that his brothers were somehow involved in this mess.

"I would have thought a shop like this would appeal to most of the students," The second Auror remarked, gazing around at the colourful displays and fun filled products available to buy.

"As I'm sure you're aware, our family has history with Harry and his family," Fred said. "He's welcome here, but we're not friends of any sort. I think he just finds it easier to stay away."

"So he hasn't been in today?" The first Auror asked.

"No," George answered. "And we haven't seen him either. We've been run off our feet and haven't left the shop all morning."

The two Aurors nodded, and after a search of the shop, they waited while Fred and George locked up, before asking them to stay out of the way of the investigation.

"If we need to talk again, will we find you here?" The first Auror asked.

"We'll either be in the shop, the flat above the shop or at our family home, The Burrow," Fred answered. "But I really don't see how we can help you. As we've said, we haven't seen Harry today."

"We might still have further questions," The second Auror responded before the two wizards headed onto the next shop to continue their search.

Fred and George watched the activity in the village through their shop window for a few seconds. The two Aurors they'd spoken to were not the only ones in the village. Harry's family also seemed to be around as they spotted both Severus Snape and Voldemort talking with some of the Aurors.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" George asked his twin.

"I am," Fred replied in a sombre voice. "Let's just hope we're wrong."

"Let's go and find out then," George said, turning away from the window.

Heading upstairs to their flat, the twins connected the floo network and headed home. With it being a weekend they expected both their parents to be home, and sure enough they found Molly and Arthur in the front room. Molly was sitting knitting, while Arthur was reading the papers, the radio playing quietly in the background.

"Hello boys," Molly greeted with a thin smile, putting her knitting to one side. Even though she was much better than she had been following Ron's death, there was still a frailness and listlessness about Molly these days.

"Isn't it early for you to be here?" Arthur asked with a frown as he checked the time. "I would have thought your shop would have been packed."

"There's a crisis down in the village," Fred explained. "All the shops have been closed for the day."

"Can they do that?" Molly asked.

"Apparently," George answered with a shrug.

"So what is this crisis?" Arthur questioned.

"Harry's missing," Fred replied, as both he and George watched their parents for their reaction.

Both Molly and Arthur appeared shocked, but neither of them looked as though it was something they already knew. Granted, they didn't exactly seem heartbroken by the news, but both of the twins would swear it was the first they were hearing of it.

"Are Bill and Charlie here?" Fred asked.

"In the kitchen playing chess," Arthur responded.

Fred and George headed into the kitchen, where they found their two eldest brothers engaged in a game of chess. Both Bill and Charlie looked up when they entered the room, and like Arthur they asked why they were home so early. Again, Fred and George repeated that Harry was missing, and while Bill and Charlie both seemed shocked, the twins weren't sure it was genuine.

"It's you two, isn't it?" Fred demanded.

"What's us two?" Bill asked with a confused frown.

"You're involved in Harry's disappearance," George accused.

"We're what?" Charlie laughed as his parents entered the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, sensing some tension in the room.

"Fred and George think we have Harry hidden somewhere," Bill answered. "You can go and check our rooms if you want."

"We don't think he's here," Fred said. "We just think you two have something to do with his disappearance."

"Fredrick, that is a terrible thing to say to your brothers," Molly scolded.

"Come on Mum, you know how they feel about Harry and his family," George protested.

"Yes, and they're quite within their rights to hate them," Molly said defensively. "But hating someone and wanting to see their downfall is not the same as kidnapping them."

"It depends on how eager they are to see their downfall," Fred pointed out. "You two were planning something over the summer, and don't deny it."

"We won't," Charlie said. "You're right, we have been looking at ways to get rid of the dark, but we haven't come up with anything solid. You know that You-Know-Who is the real threat, and with his Horcruxes, he's indestructible."

"He might be, but his grandson isn't," George argued. "What were you thinking, that you would get rid of his family one at a time and he would be so grief stricken that he would retreat into himself?"

"Now that is a good plan, George," Bill remarked with a smirk. "I wish we'd thought of that."

"Sadly, we're still plan free," Charlie added with a shrug. "We don't know what's going on with Harry, but good on whoever has taken him. It's about time people fought, rather than just roll over and let the dark get what they want. Maybe this is the start of the revolution."

"Deny it all you want, we know you're involved," Fred said. "You were up in Hogsmeade earlier in the year casing the joint."

"We were visiting Ginny," Charlie argued. "She is our little sister, and in case you didn't notice, she's all alone in that school with several members of You-Know-Who's family. We're just keeping an eye on her."

"You better not have dragged her into this," George warned. "We know you're behind this, but let's just hope you've had the sense to leave our little sister out of your hair brained scheme."

"We would never do anything to cause problems for Ginny," Bill insisted fiercely.

"Let's hope you're right," Fred muttered.

"Enough," Molly interjected in a sharp voice. "I will not have my children accusing each other of such things. Haven't we already lost enough? We need to stick together, not tear each other apart."

"Tell them that," George said, shaking his head at his two older brothers. "If they've done what we think they have, they've just doomed themselves. We're just going to have to hope they don't drag the rest of us down with them."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Hermione was less than happy to be back at school, but her father and brother had been adamant that they would prefer it if she was safe at Hogwarts. Voldemort and Severus had called in the Ministry and they were organising the search party down in Hogsmeade, but Hermione wanted to help. Unfortunately, she'd been sent back to school and she was currently pacing the floor in the head dorms.

The group had gathered in the head dorms to wait for news, and it was no longer just the couples who had gone down to Hogsmeade together. Vince and Greg had turned up, along with Pansy, Millicent and Tracey. Then Dean, Neville and Seamus had poked their heads in to see if there was any news and they'd ended up staying for a while as well.

"It has to be the Weasleys," Hermione said for the hundredth time.

"More than likely, but how do you prove it?" Draco asked. "Until we find Harry we can't go around accusing people."

"Watch me," Hermione hissed as she turned and stalked towards the door.

"Hermione," Draco called, running after his girlfriend as she stalked out of the head dorms. "Where are you going?"

"Ginny," Hermione answered. "She's involved, I know she is."

"Even if she is, she's not going to admit it to you," Draco argued as he followed his girlfriend to Gryffindor Tower.

"She will if I make her," Hermione replied in a low voice.

When they reached Gryffindor Tower, Hermione spat out the password and even though The Fat Lady tried to protest, Draco followed his girlfriend into the common room. It took Hermione two seconds to locate Ginny, and she stormed over to the redhead who was sitting on a sofa, her nose in a book.

"Where is he?" Hermione demanded, yanking the book from Ginny's hands and throwing it across the room.

"What the hell," Ginny cried, jumping up in annoyance.

"Where is he?" Hermione repeated in a low voice. She was aware that everyone was watching them, but she really wasn't bothered. "I know you know, so if you know what's good for you, you'll tell me. Where is Harry?"

"That's what this is about," Ginny said with a laugh. "I heard your precious nephew was missing."

"Not missing, kidnapped," Hermione corrected.

"Maybe he ran away," Ginny suggested. "Maybe he realised just how twisted his family is and decided to leave."

"Maybe I'll forget myself and show you just how dangerous I can be," Hermione threatened in a low voice. "I won't ask again Ginny, where is he?"

"I don't know," Ginny answered in a slow but sure voice. "I haven't seen him today."

"You haven't seen him all day?" Hermione scoffed.

"No," Ginny replied. "I was up early and I was down in Hogsmeade with the first group of students. I bought a few pieces and I was back in the common room before most people even got down there in the first place. Ask around, I'm sure there's plenty of people who can tell you I've been here for hours."

"That proves nothing," Hermione insisted.

"It proves I wasn't down in Hogsmeade when Harry vanished," Ginny countered. "And tell me this, Hermione. How can I know where he is, when I was up here in Gryffindor Tower?"

"I don't believe you," Hermione hissed.

"Why don't we ask," Ginny said, turning to the crowds of watching Gryffindors. "Will someone please tell Hermione that I've been in Gryffindor Tower for hours?"

"Well?" Hermione demanded, glancing around the crowds. "No-one needs to be scared," She added in a softer voice. "All I want is the truth."

"I saw her," A timid second year admitted when her friends nudged her in the side. "And she's right, she was here for hours. She was definitely here at lunchtime."

"See?" Ginny gloated with a smug smirk as a few other people confirmed that she'd been in Gryffindor Tower for a long time. "Sorry to ruin your theory, Hermione, but I'm innocent."

"We'll see about that," Hermione muttered. "Just remember that Harry knows the truth, Ginny. When we find him, and we will find him, he's going to tell us everything. I promise you that if you were involved in whatever has happened to him, you'll regret it. I'll personally make sure of it."

Hermione smirked slightly as Ginny let out an uncontrolled shiver, and giving the younger witch one more threatening look, she turned on her heel and stalked out of Gryffindor Tower, Draco at her side.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked Draco as they slowly headed back to the head dorms.

"I think if she's involved, and there's a good chance she is, she's been very crafty," Draco replied. "Unless Harry can tell us otherwise it's going to be practically impossible to place her in Hogsmeade at the time Harry disappeared."

"Maybe so, but if she's involved I don't need to prove it to anyone," Hermione replied. "If she's involved, I'm going to make her pay."

"Something tells me you already have an idea how," Draco remarked.

"Let's just say there's a little something brewing," Hermione said with an evil smirk.

Even though he was firmly on her side, Draco felt a shiver of apprehension at Hermione's vow. If Ginny had been involved in whatever had happened to Harry, it was the stupidest mistake of her life as Hermione was going to make her regret it. Draco wouldn't want to be in Ginny's shoes once Hermione had set her sights on her. To be honest, he figured the redheaded witch would be lucky to escape from whatever Hermione had planned with her life. Although if she had been involved in Harry's disappearance, then she deserved everything she got and Draco had no sympathy for her. In fact he had no sympathy for anyone involved in what was happening with Harry, and he hoped that everyone who'd set out to cause trouble would be severely punished for their actions. Not that he had any doubt about that, as anyone who was stupid enough to mess with The Dark Lord's family was only ever going to end up in serious trouble.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N – Good news. I've finally finished writing year 7 and I can announce it will have 40 chapters in total. When I first had the idea of this story and decided to split it into seven years, I honestly expected each year to average between 15-20 chapters. But COTD had ended up being far longer than I ever intended, and in the end it's ended up a rather long story. And it's not really over as there's still my collection pieces to accompany the series. They will be continuing long after I've published the final chapter of year 7 – and a great deal of them will deal with what happens next for the trio and their family, as well as the ones going back to before the series and filling in on pieces I just didn't have time to fit into the actual story. I won't be changing the publishing schedule (it will still be Mondays and Fridays) as I'm wanting to try and finish some other stories as for the first time in a while, I'm almost out of new finished stories as Children has been my main focus for so long. But with the end in sight, I hope people continue to enjoy Children as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

Harry's disappearance sent Severus into a spin, and he was on autopilot as he helped organise the search down in Hogsmeade. For the first time since taking over as Headmaster, he couldn't care less about Hogwarts and he'd handed things over to McGonagall without a second thought. Of course, Narcissa was still up at school to keep an eye on things, but school was the last thing on Severus's mind. Along with his father and Lucius, he'd brought the Ministry into things and helped as the Aurors shut the village down. While the Aurors did their thing, and organised a search in their own way, Severus, Voldemort and Lucius began their own search.

Sadly as they expected, any trace spells they could think of, yielded no results. Harry wasn't young enough to be traced via the Ministry's underage detector, and other tracking spells failed to pick up his trail. Even the blood spells Voldemort knew came to nothing. Wherever Harry was being held, he was being held somewhere that magic wasn't reaching him. Whether it meant whoever had him had ensured the wards around his prison was strong, or if it meant something more sinister, Severus didn't know, but he intended to find out.

By the end of the day, Harry was no nearer to being found. They knew he'd gone missing between the time Daphne had left him to enter the quidditch shop and the time the group were supposed to meet for lunch. However, most people in the village hadn't been paying much attention to the time so it was hard to pinpoint when he was last seen. Although most people who had seen him, said they'd seen him either with Daphne or with his group of friends. The only person who said they'd seen him on his own was the jeweller, who informed them that Harry had visited the shop and bought a necklace. The jeweller was adamant Harry was in the shop alone, but he couldn't say where he'd went after that as he'd gone into the back room to grab some new stock to put on display.

Severus was convinced that the Weasleys had something to do with his son's disappearance as they were really the only members of the Order left. The only other people of any note were Ted and Andromeda Tonks, but they'd both been extremely quiet since their daughter's death. Voldemort had people looking into both the Tonks' and the Weasleys to see if they could be involved, but Severus was still itching for answers and he knew if he didn't get them soon he would be the one to drive the war into violence as he searched for his son.

Severus had hoped that Ginny would be the key to finding Harry, but he was disappointed when questioning of the students revealed she'd likely been at the castle before Harry vanished. Without a firm time of Harry going missing, it made it hard to be sure of anything, but there were plenty of people who swore that Ginny had been back in Gryffindor Tower by mid-morning. Of course, it could have been later when Ginny got back to the castle, but it was impossible to prove and she was denying ever having seen Harry that day.

With no sign of his son, Severus had endured a restless night at home, and he was up at the crack of dawn trying to think of ways to find Harry. Sadly, other than searching Hogsmeade again, which he spent his Sunday morning doing, Severus drew a blank. He just didn't know how to find his son and he hated the helpless feeling it left him with. He'd never felt more worthless as a father, and no matter what anyone said, he was wracked with guilt as it reached twenty four hours since his son had been seen.

By Sunday afternoon everyone had gathered at Voldemort and Beth's house. Lucius and Narcissa had left Hogwarts for the afternoon, and they'd brought Hermione and Draco with them. Rosmerta had dragged Severus along to the gathering, reminding him that he needed his family to support him. When he saw how broken up the rest of the family were, especially Beth who was heavily pregnant and looked as though she could go into labour at any time, he felt bad for wallowing in his grief. He wasn't the only one who loved Harry, and he had to remember that his family was strong and they would get through this crisis together.

"How are you doing?" Beth asked, sweeping Severus up in her arms.

"I'm numb," Severus admitted. "But how are you? This stress can't be good for the baby."

"The baby and I are just fine," Beth said, her hand automatically falling to her stomach. "And I know Harry will be fine as well. We'll find him, Severus. You have to keep believing that."

"I want to Beth, but it's hard," Severus said with a sigh as he sat down next to his wife. "Why can't we find him? How are the Weasleys smarter than us?"

"It's not a case of being smarter, it's a case of knowing the right magic," Lucius remarked. "We all know the right wards can basically lock a house up and make it impenetrable. All they needed was some of these wards around wherever they'd holding Harry."

"And don't forget the eldest one was a curse breaker," Voldemort added. "He'll know all about these spells."

"There has to be a way around them," Hermione protested. "There's a loophole in almost all spells, isn't that what you taught me, Daddy?"

"It is sweetheart," Voldemort replied with a small smile. "It's just finding the right loophole, and hoping it's a one that can help us. Sometimes there's loopholes but they're still useless."

"Maybe I should go back down to Hogsmeade," Draco suggested. "I can maybe try and narrow down the scent that was mingled with Harry's."

"We don't even know if the scent was left at the same time as Harry," Narcissa gently pointed out to her son. "You could just be picking up a crossed scent."

"I guess so," Draco reluctantly admitted. Since he was new to the whole heightened sense of smell, he knew his mother was right and he could be leading people up a blind alley by trying to be helpful and not quite knowing if he was right in his hypothesis.

"But thank you for the offer, Draco," Voldemort said. "Your help yesterday was greatly appreciated. You narrowed down where Harry went missing from a lot quicker than we could have done. You saved us precious hours there."

"But not enough to get to Harry," Draco muttered.

"You did all you could, Draco," Severus said to his godson. "We're all doing all we can."

"It doesn't feel like it sitting here," Hermione said with a sigh. She knew without knowing where to look it was pointless them being out searching for Harry, but it still felt defeatist to be sitting at home while her nephew was missing.

"Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to put things into focus," Voldemort said. "What we need to focus on is a way to make contact with Harry."

The room fell silent as each and every one of them tried to think of a way to locate Harry. Of course it didn't help that they knew even the most advanced tracking spells, both dark and light, hadn't yielded any results. It was hard to think outside of the box when the simplest answer just kept popping into your head and you knew it was useless.

"The house elves," Draco suddenly cried. "They're not bound by the same laws as we are. Could one of the family elves track Harry?"

"We tried last night," Severus said with a rueful shake of his head. "Not one of the elves can reach him."

"Damn," Draco muttered. "I thought it was a good idea."

"It was," Hermione reassured her boyfriend. "It's just already been tried."

"Everything has," Severus muttered as the room once again lapsed into contemplative silence.

"I might have something," Hermione finally ventured. "We've tried tracking Harry, so what if we try tracking something he has on him."

"Like what?" Beth asked with a frown. "I hardly think he was carrying anything personal on him."

"The necklace," Draco suggested. "He'd just bought a necklace and it wasn't found in Hogsmeade, meaning its likely still on him."

"And there's a good chance the jeweller had a tracking spell in it in case it was lost or stolen," Severus continued as he jumped to his feet. "All we need to do is activate the spell and track my son down."

"Let's go," Voldemort said as he and Lucius also got to their feet.

"I want to come," Hermione said, but before anyone got a chance to respond there was a pecking noise at the window and the group turned round to find an owl perched on the window sill.

As the person nearest to the window, Narcissa got up and let the owl into the room. Soaring into the room, the owl dropped a brown envelope onto the coffee table before flying back out of the open window and out of the house. As one the group surged forward, staring at the letter that had 'VOLDEMORT' printed on the front in what was clearly magical writing.

"Should I get Bernie and alert the Aurors?" Lucius asked as they all looked at the letter on the table.

"No, we're handling this my way," Voldemort insisted. "The Aurors are there for when we find Harry if I chose to go down a route where his kidnappers aren't killed."

"Open the letter, father," Severus barked impatiently.

Picking the letter up, Voldemort tore into the envelope and pulled out the contents. Inside the envelope was a picture of Harry, clearly stunned and lying next to the previous day's paper. Voldemort scanned the picture carefully, looking for clues as to where it was taken as well as checking his grandson appeared unharmed. The anger in Harry's eyes relieved him a bit as it meant his grandson was fighting. Passing the picture over to Severus, who immediately choked up at the sight of his son, Voldemort's attention turned to the brief note included with the picture. The note didn't say who was writing, it just said that if they wanted to see Harry alive, Voldemort would agree to an exchange. He would trade places with his grandson at a time and place the kidnappers would inform him of in twenty four hours. After reading the note, Voldemort passed it around so that everyone could get a picture of what they were dealing with.

"That makes no sense," Hermione muttered with a frown. "The Order know you can't be killed, so why ask for a swap? What are they hoping to achieve?"

"They think if I'm out of the picture there'll be no threat," Voldemort said quietly.

"Then they're stupider than I thought," Hermione snorted. "They can't possibly believe we'll just roll over and stop if you're not here. We would still fight."

"And maybe that is what they're hoping for," Lucius said. "At the minute people are staying neutral because there's no violence. If the Order can provoke us into violence, they can get people on their side. I'd dare like to bet that if that happened, we'd soon find ourselves in the midst of another messy war, and there'd be no shortage of people fighting against us."

"That will not happen," Voldemort said firmly. "There will be no war like before. I will not risk my family like that. We carry on as we have been, even if I'm not in the picture."

"You're going to do it?" Beth gasped. "You're going to exchange yourself for Harry?"

"If all else fails, yes," Voldemort replied with a nod. "And in my shoes, you would do the same, Beth."

"I would," Beth confirmed. "But that doesn't make it any less scary. We're about to have another child, and now that child might not get to know their father."

"At least their father won't be dead," Voldemort said quietly. "We all know the worst they can do is trap me somewhere without magic. They can't kill me, but they can kill Harry. If nothing else works, I agree to the exchange and you get Harry back."

"If that happens, we'll save you," Severus said, grasping his father's hand. "We won't let you rot in whatever hell-hole they put you in. We will save you."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Voldemort said with a small smile. "Let's try the necklace idea. You never know, we might get to Harry before we next hear from the kidnappers."

With an air of hope, Lucius, Voldemort and Severus went off to see the jeweller in Hogsmeade. Hermione had tried to go with them, but her father had wanted her safe so she'd stayed at home to keep an eye on Beth. Sadly an hour later their hopes were dashed when the men returned with long faces.

"What happened?" Rosmerta asked, wrapping her arm around her husband.

"We're too late," Severus replied in a despondent voice. "The charm on the necklace wore off this morning. It's designed to fade twenty four hours after purchase. We tried tapping into the old signal, to see if that helped us but it was too weak. All we got was that Harry wasn't in Scotland anymore."

"I'm sorry," Rosmerta whispered, hugging her husband and wishing she could do something more to help him. First his son was missing, and now he was facing the prospect of losing his father in his place.

"And there's nothing else we can use to track him?" Narcissa asked.

"I can't think of anything," Voldemort replied with a sigh as he pulled out his wand and summoned a bottle of his best firewhisky and some glasses.

"The wand," Hermione suddenly cried as she watched her father. "Harry's got his wand."

"We've already established we can't trace him via his magic, and his wand is a part of that," Lucius said gently, not wanting to hurt Hermione, but not wanting her to cling to false hope.

"I wasn't talking about his wands magic, I was talking about the connection it has with Fathers," Hermione excitedly explained. "Their wands are twinned. They share a core."

"Share a core?" Rosmerta questioned with a frown as hopeful looks appeared on the faces of those around her.

"My wand's core is a phoenix feather," Voldemort explained. "When Harry got his wand, he also got a wand with a phoenix feather at its core. But not just any feather, a feather from the same bird that gave the one for my wand. In fact, they're the only two feathers this particular bird gave."

"And that makes the wands special?" Rosmerta asked.

"It does," Voldemort replied with a nod. "Although, we're not too sure just what they can do. We've been looking into it over the years, but to be honest, other things have just ended up taking priority. But there's a very good chance we can utilise the connection to track Harry down. After all, there's no way anyone could have known about the wands, so they won't have thought to block a connection between them."

"Of course we are banking on Harry still having his wand," Beth cautioned. "They might have taken it, in and in that case, it won't lead us to Harry."

"But it will lead us to his kidnappers," Severus pointed out. "Either way, it's worth a try."

"Do we know how to use the wands to track Harry?" Narcissa asked.

"Not yet," Voldemort replied. "It's going to take some research. Are you all up for it?"

"We are," Hermione confirmed. "Even if we've got to work all night. We'll help you find a spell that will lead us to Harry."

"What about school?" Beth asked with a frown. "It's Monday tomorrow."

"Sod school, Harry is more important," Hermione stated.

"No, your mother's right, you still need to go to school," Voldemort insisted. "You and Draco can help us for a few hours, but you will be at school tomorrow. And there's no point arguing as my mind is made up."

"We better make the most of the time we've got then," Hermione grumbled as she stalked off to the library to see what she could find.

The rest of the family followed after Hermione, while Lucius and Narcissa popped home to check if they had anything that could help in their library. An hour later everyone was ensconced in the library, trying to find a way to use the connection between Harry and Voldemort's wand to save Harry. The alternative would result in Voldemort being the one held somewhere without magic, and no-one wanted to see that happen. They wanted the whole family together, especially as over the coming months their brood would be expanding and they didn't want anyone to miss out on getting to know the newest members of the dark family.


	19. Chapter 19

A loud, annoyed growl echoed around the library as Voldemort threw a book to the ground in anger. The twenty four hours since they'd received the note from the kidnappers was almost up, and with another letter due any moment, they'd frustratingly found nothing to help them use Harry's wand to find him.

Hermione and Draco had helped their search until the early hours, before Voldemort had sent them back to school. Lucius and Narcissa had stayed a bit longer, but they'd also gone back to school, while both Voldemort and Severus had insisted that Beth and Rosmerta get some rest. However, Severus hadn't gone anywhere and he'd been at his father's side all night as they searched for a way to find his son. Voldemort had even filled Bernard Nott in on their plan in the hopes the Ministry could help them, but so far he'd heard nothing back from the Minister.

Beth and Rosmerta had forced their husbands to eat some breakfast, before they'd joined in the search, but like their husband they were finding nothing of any help. Again at their husband's insistance, the two witches had gone to rest for a while, so currently Voldemort and Severus were alone in the library.

"I don't know where else to look," Severus admitted with a sigh. He didn't want to give up, but he was sure there was nothing in the library that would help them.

"I don't think there's anything here," Voldemort agreed.

"What do we do?" Severus asked. "It's looking like we're going to have to agree to the exchange, and you know I don't want that."

"No-one wants that Severus, but it might be our only option," Voldemort said quietly.

As the two wizards paused to take stock of where they stood, Beth's voice suddenly cried out from the front room. Without a moment's hesitation both wizards turned and sprinted out of the library. When they reached the front room they found Beth nursing a bloodstained hand, while Rosmerta slammed the windows closed.

"What happened?" Voldemort asked, rushing over to his wife's side, relived that whatever had made her scream wasn't the baby.

"Blasted bird bit me when I tried to take the letter off him," Beth snarled as she pulled out her wand and cleaned up her hand.

"Letter?" Severus's face paled when he spotted the envelope lying on the table. Like the one they'd received the previous day his father's name was printed on the front.

"Looks like this is it," Voldemort said as he picked up the letter and tore into it.

Unlike the last letter there was no picture of Harry. In fact the note consisted of two lines. One was a time and a date – two days' time at midnight. And the second was a set of co-ordinates. There were no instructions, but the message was clear. Voldemort was to get to the co-ordinates on the paper at the time and a date that Harry's kidnappers had instructed. How the switch would be made was a mystery, but they were hardly in a position to communicate with the people who had Harry.

"We've got just over forty eight hours," Voldemort said. "Either we find an answer before then, or we go through with the exchange."

"Or we come up with a back-up plan for the exchange," Severus suggested. "We could visit this site now and see where we're going to be meeting."

"And tip our hand? I don't think so," Voldemort said with a shake of his head. "If I'm right, the only way they can contain me at an exchange is to set up some sort of magical circle that will bind my magic, and I'm guessing those co-ordinates are right in the centre of the circle and chances are it's active as we speak. We can try apparating to somewhere nearby, but without exact co-ordinates or prior experience we can't know what we'll be walking into."

"So what, we're just going to sit back and wait for the exchange?" Severus demanded. "In case it slipped your notice, there's no details of how we're getting Harry back. What if you go to them and we lose both of you?"

"I'm still hoping for to use Hermione's suggestion to use Harry's wand to find him," Voldemort said.

"But we've found nothing, and we couldn't find anything of any use at the manor," Beth pointed out. "We could do research for days and still be no further forward."

"I'm aware of that," Voldemort said with a thoughtful shrug. "What we need is an expert in wand lore."

"And where are we going to find one of them?" Rosmerta asked.

"Diagon Alley," Voldemort answered, sharing a smirk with his son as he spotted Severus getting on the same track as him.

"Ollivander," Severus stated.

"Got it in one," Voldemort said. "Ollivander is going to help us."

"And what if he won't?" Beth asked.

"Then we make him," Voldemort answered with a shrug. He may have been against using force to get his own way before now, but now his grandson was missing and the game had changed. He would get Harry back, and he would do whatever it took to get him back.

"Let's go," Severus said, anxious to move now they had a plan.

"Not so fast," Voldemort cautioned. "Let's get everything in place before we move. First, we need somewhere to hold Ollivander if he proves less than willing to help us."

"The manor," Severus suggested. "Their dungeons are secure and we should be done before the full moon."

"Talk to Lucius and see if he can arrange it," Voldemort said.

Severus nodded and giving his wife a quick kiss he headed to Hogwarts for the first time since his son had gone missing. Ignoring the work that had stacked up in his absence, he headed straight to Lucius's classroom, and even though his friend was in the middle of a lesson, he asked to speak to him in his office.

"Do we have a breakthrough?" Lucius asked once the pair were in Lucius's office with the door firmly shut.

"Hopefully we'll have one soon," Severus said as he quickly filled Lucius in on their plan to use Ollivander to get the help they needed.

"I can get back to the manor after lessons and alter the wards," Lucius said. "It'll allow you and your father to bring Ollivander straight into the dungeons."

"You don't think he's going to help willingly?" Severus asked with a wry smile.

"Do you?" Lucius retorted.

"Of course not," Severus replied. "So will you be joining us this evening?"

"Just you try and keep me away," Lucius replied with an evil smirk. He fully backed Voldemort's new way of going about things but he had to admit part of him missed the action and darker side of their nature. "What do I say to Hermione and Draco? Hermione's been asking for news all day."

"Tell her it's in hand," Severus replied. "Depending how tonight goes, I might come and see her tomorrow and fill her in."

"I take it we're keeping her away from Ollivander," Lucius chuckled.

"Definitely," Severus replied with a nod. "My sister is talented, but she isn't ready for such things. I've got to get home, but let us know when everything's set up at the manor."

"Will do," Lucius promised as Severus exited the office and headed back home to make preparations with Voldemort in regards to approaching Ollivander for help.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

As the shops in Diagon Alley began to close, the shopkeepers didn't notice the two shadowy figures lurking near to the top of the adjoining street, Knockturn Alley. The two figures of Voldemort and Severus had a perfect view of Ollivander's wand shop from where they stood, and the second they spotted the wand maker pulling down the blinds over the windows they surged forwards and entered the shop without anyone on the street spotting them.

"What do you want?" Ollivander asked, trying not to let the fear he felt sound in his voice. Despite Voldemort's lack of violence since his return, he could remember the first war and he was wary of the dark wizard and his family.

"We need your help," Severus answered as his father locked the door of the shop.

"I won't help you," Ollivander said firmly.

"I thought you might say that," Voldemort said with a smirk as he pulled out his wand. "Perhaps some persuasion will help you reach the right decision. Crucio!"

With a cry Ollivander fell to his knees as the curse hit him. Voldemort kept up the curse for a couple of minutes, before lifting it and checking if Ollivander was ready to help. When the wand maker still refused to agree to help, Voldemort hit him with a second blast of the Cruciatius curse. Again he held it for a couple of minutes, before checking on the stubborn wand maker yet again.

"We could be on all day with this," Severus snapped impatiently as his father hit Ollivander with yet another blast of the curse. "Let's just move him."

"I guess you're right," Voldemort said with a sigh as he lifted the curse and walked over to Ollivander and bent down to whisper in his ear. "You will help us old man, even if it's the last thing you do."

With two cracks, Voldemort and Severus dissapeared, with Voldemort taking Ollivander with him. Thanks to the changes Lucius had allowed on the manor's wards the three wizards landed in the dungeons. Taking advantage of Ollivander's pain and confusion, Severus quickly found his wand and disarmed him. With no wand, Ollivander was completely at the dark's mercy and he knew it. The second he had enough strength he crawled as far away from the dark pair as he could.

"Cowering in the corner won't help you," Voldemort sneered just as the door to the dungeon opened and Lucius entered the room.

"Ah, I haven't missed all the fun," He declared, smirking at Ollivander.

"Before we start, let me tell you what we want," Voldemort said, advancing on Ollivander. "As you might know my grandson Harry is missing, and as you know our wands have a connection."

"I remember," Ollivander spat.

"Well you're going to help me use that connection to find Harry," Voldemort connected.

"I won't," Ollivander declared stubbornly.

"But it can be done?" Severus questioned.

"I can't say," Ollivander said with a slight smirk.

"I'm sure we can prise it out of you," Voldemort said. "Severus, Lucius, who wants to go first?"

"I think it's only right Severus gets proceedings underway," Lucius said.

"I'll be glad to," Severus said with a malicious smirk as he pulled out his wand and advanced on the terrified wand maker.

Severus started with the Cruciatius curse, and he kept it up until Ollivander's screams were echoing around the stone room. When he dropped the spell, he didn't bother asking if Ollivander was willing to help yet, instead he took out all his frustrations on Ollivander and hurled every dark hex he could think of at the wand maker.

"Time for a break, Severus," Voldemort said quietly, reaching out to stop his son after a while.

With a growl, Severus stepped back and Voldemort checked to see if Ollivander was ready to break. To the wand maker's credit, he was tougher than he looked and even though he was in pain, he still refused to help.

"Lucius," Voldemort called, handing the reigns over to the blond wizard.

Lucius stepped forward with relish and took over the torturing from Severus. Like Severus he used a mixture of the Cruciatius curse and other dark curses to have the older wizard howling in pain. However, they still didn't have the desired effect and Ollivander refused to give in.

"I think it's going to be a long night," Voldemort remarked. "We can handle it, can you?"

"I can cope," Ollivander gasped out.

"I doubt it," Voldemort replied with a chuckle as he raised his wand.

What followed was the night from hell for Ollivander. All three wizards took their turns in torturing Ollivander, and aside from making sure he didn't die on them they held nothing back. Finally as dawn began to break he finally cracked and promised to help.

"Now that's wasn't so hard was it?" Voldemort asked with a smirk as Lucius summoned a chair and they sat the badly tortured wizard on the chair. "Now tell me what I need to know. Tell me how to find my grandson."

With a shaky breath, Ollivander began to tell Voldemort how to use the wand connection to locate Harry. By the time he'd explained what needed to be doing, Ollivander had reached his limits and he collapsed from the chair, onto the floor.

"Lucius, check he's not dead," Voldemort said with a dismissive glance down at Ollivander.

"He's alive," Lucius confirmed.

"Wipe his memory and dump him somewhere he'll be found," Voldemort ordered. "We've got work to do."

Leaving Lucius to deal with the wizard they'd tortured for information, Voldemort and Severus headed home to begin using the information they'd gotten from Ollivander to find Harry. The end was in sight, and unless Ollivander had been lying, and by that stage he was beyond playing with them, Harry would soon be home in the bosom of his family and whoever had taken him were about to pay a heavy price for kidnapping the grandson of The Dark Lord.


	20. Chapter 20

Following the information they'd prised out of Ollivander, Voldemort and Severus set out to find Harry. The ritual to connect the twin wands was a complex process, and it took the two wizards all day to get a trace on Harry. Thankfully, it looked as though Harry still had his wand on him, or at least that was what Severus and Voldemort were hoping as the lock they had on him placed him nowhere near any known buildings owned by people involved with the Order.

As they worked on getting the trace locked on Harry, Voldemort and Severus also came up with a plan of attack. Even with the wands connection, they knew it likely wouldn't be possible to reach exactly where Harry was being held, so they would have to approach from a distance. With that in mind, the two wizards called in reinforcements. With Lucius up at Hogwarts until the end of the day, they sought help from the Lestrange brothers, Rabastan and Rodolphus, and the Carrow siblings, Alecto and Amycus. Voldemort even earmarked Greyback's help when the time came to go and rescue Harry, hoping that his heightened senses would ensure that they were on the right track.

While Voldemort and Severus worked on establishing a connection between the two wands, the Death Eaters came up with a plan of attack, and once they had a firm fix on Harry, attention turned to the surrounding area and if they had any contacts nearby. Even though Severus wanted to move the second they had a trace on Harry, he knew his father's way was the right way so he contained himself and impatiently waited for the time to move.

"I've got it," Rodolphus suddenly exclaimed.

"Got what?" Voldemort asked.

"A base we can use," Rodolphus replied. "Our father owned a cabin in some woods, about five miles away from where we think Harry is. I don't think he sold it, so we should be able to use it."

"Can the two of you get us there with no problems?" Severus checked with the brothers.

"We should be able to," Rabastan answered with a nod. "I can remember the place, so we shouldn't have any major issues."

"That's settled then, we use the cabin as a base," Voldemort said.

"When do we leave?" Alecto asked, eager to be off and rescue Harry.

"Tonight at six," Voldemort answered. "I want Nott and a couple of Aurors on standby."

"Aurors?" Severus questioned. "Why do we need Aurors?"

"So we can file an official report," Voldemort replied calmly. "No matter what happens, we're going to want an official version that we can publically say happened. If we go in without back-up and get Harry back, questions will be asked about what we've done."

"And this way we can make it look as though Harry was saved via an official Auror investigation," Severus said with an understanding nod. They could also blame any casualties on the kidnappers resisting arrest and the Aurors being forced to use due force.

By the time Voldemort had brought Nott and a couple of his Aurors into the picture, Lucius had arrived from Hogwarts along with Narcissa. He also had Hermione and Draco with him, although Voldemort was adamant that the pair would be remaining behind when they went to save Harry. There was already one member of the family in danger, he didn't want any more put in the firing line.

"Bring him back," Hermione said to Severus, hugging her big brother as he prepared to leave.

"We will," Severus vowed, before saying a quick goodbye to his wife.

Since the Lestrange brothers were the only ones who knew where they were going, apparition not only had to be done in a side-along manner, but it also had to be done in stages. The brothers started with the Carrows, followed by Nott and the Aurors, then Lucius and Greyback, and finally Voldemort and Severus.

The cabin they arrived in clearly hadn't been used for decades and it was a dusty mess, but thankfully they weren't staying long. In fact the group were only in the cabin long enough for Voldemort to activate the spell that connected his wand with Harry's. Thanks to the information they'd gotten out of Ollivander, they'd been able to locate Harry from a distance, but now Voldemort was within striking distance of his grandson, he was able to perform a ritual that linked their wands. The link appeared in the form of a think golden line, twisting out of the end of Voldemort's wand and disappearing into the evening.

"So we follow the golden line?" Rabastan checked.

"We do," Voldemort replied with a nod, before turning to Nott and the Aurors. "You come with us, but you stay out of things until I say otherwise. We're handling this, you're just here to clean up the mess."

"Of course, My Lord," Bernard replied as the two Aurors he'd brought with him also nodded their heads obediently.

"Let's get going," Voldemort said, striding out of the cabin and into the dwindling light of the evening.

Using the connection, the group followed it out of the shallow woods they were located in and out onto a twisting country road. As they moved closer to Harry, the group were all on the alert and Greyback especially was acting as an advanced warning in case there was anyone nearby. As it was, they didn't see or hear anyone as they strode down the country lane until finally a small cottage came into sight in the distance.

"That has to be it," Severus exclaimed. "We're in the middle of nowhere, so Harry has to be inside that house."

"The golden beam is getting stronger," Voldemort said, indicating the light that was coming from his wand. According to Ollivander, the brighter the light the closer the twin wand was. "But let's move carefully Severus. This house is going to be heavily warded, and we don't want to alert Harry's kidnappers until we have to."

Severus nodded his head sharply as he strode purposefully towards the cottage where he was sure his son was being held. By the time they reached the outskirts of the small garden than surrounded the cottage, the wards were clear for everyone to sense. The air was prickling with magic, and they suspected one wrong move could trigger some sort of booby trap.

"Greyback," Voldemort barked, turning to the werewolf. "Is there anyone in the house?"

"It's hard to tell, the wards are very strong," Greyback replied with a frown. "But there's some different scents in the air, someone's been here recently."

"But what about inside the cottage?" Severus pressed. "Is Harry in there?"

"I might be able to tell if people would be quiet," Greyback retorted.

Clenching his teeth, Severus moved away and gave Greyback some space. With the group lapsing into silence, Greyback stalked around the perimeter of the cottage, his ears straining to pick up any noises. After a sweep of the cottage, he'd seen nothing, but he returned with news.

"There's someone in there. But before you ask, I don't know who. I can just hear movement."

"It's Harry," Severus said with confidence. "It has to be."

"Or at least Harry's wand," Voldemort muttered, looking down at the glowing golden beam that reached from his wand and snaked its way into the cottage.

"No, it's Harry," Lucius called in excitement, pointing at the house. "Look at the top window."

Following where Lucius was pointing, the group spotted a lone figure at the top window. Even though the windows weren't exactly very clean, they could see enough to see that it was Harry, his face pressed against the window as he looked out at his rescuers. Severus waved at his son, and indicated that they would be with him soon. In return, Harry gave the group a thumbs up before he vanished from the window.

"Let's get to work," Voldemort barked. "Remember, if you're not sure stop. Do not set off an alert, not until we've gotten to Harry. Greyback, let us know if we get company."

"Will do," Greyback promised as he backed off and left the other wizards get to work.

Even though the two Aurors Bernard Nott had brought with him weren't Death Eaters, they were both eager to help and Voldemort was more than happy to have some extra expertise on their side. With the Aurors and Bernard to help, work got underway on dismantling the wards surrounding the cottage. As predicted it was tricky work and within five minutes over half the workers had stopped fearing they were going to trigger a booby trap.

"Stop," Voldemort called ten minutes later. He'd underestimated how strong the wards were, but now he'd seen them he was confident that they wouldn't be able to break them without alerting whoever had taken Harry.

"We're not getting through with stealth, are we?" Lucius asked, joining Voldemort and Severus at the front of the cottage.

"Not unless we've got a few days to spare," Voldemort answered. "Has anyone found anything we night need to know?"

"There's some sort of spell surrounding the cottage meaning magic doesn't work inside," Lucius answered. "I've never seen the spell before, but it looks like it can only be dropped by whoever cast it."

"So once we're in, we've got no magic," Severus said.

"No, but I'd bet we have whoever turns up outnumbered," Lucius answered. "I can't speak for everyone, but I can take care of myself in a physical altercation."

"And we all know Greyback is the physical type," Voldemort chuckled. "I say we use force and break the wards. If we're inside when the opposition turns up, we take them out physically, but if we're still outside we can fight with magic."

Regathering the group, Voldemort quickly filled them in on the change of plan. Making sure everyone was on alert, he lined everyone up in front of the cottage. The plan was to hit the cottage with everything they had, and hope it was enough to break the wards enough for them to enter the cottage. Just as the group raised their wands, Harry's face appeared at the downstairs window and Severus called a quick halt to proceedings.

"We need to get Harry back away from the front of the house," Severus insisted. Since they didn't know just what was going to happen, he didn't want his son to end up hurt by one of his rescuers.

Waving to Harry, Severus gestured for his son to get back. At first Harry didn't move, but with more gesturing he gave his father a nod and disappeared from view. Severus waited for a few minutes, hoping Harry understood his warning, before giving his father and the others the go ahead.

"After three," Voldemort said as the group raised their wands again. "One, two, three."

The second Voldemort finished his countdown, everyone blasted a spell at the cottage. The end result shook the very foundations of the cottage and lights shimmered all around it as various wards and protective spells broke. Not waiting around to see what response their move would get, Voldemort nodded his head and with Severus in the lead the group burst into the cottage.

"Harry," Severus screamed, his eyes traveling over the cottage, noticing various plaster and chunks of brick that had been shaken loose by the onslaught and were lying over the front room.

"Dad," Harry's voice replied, coming from the back of the house.

Severus sprinted through the house, Voldemort and Lucius right behind him. Entering the kitchen they found a shelving unit had come off the wall, and Harry was trapped underneath it. Raising their wands they tried to use magic to free Harry, but they found the anti-magic wards were still in place. Knowing magic wasn't the way to go, Voldemort knelt beside his grandson to check he was okay while Lucius and Severus started to move the shelf.

"Incoming," Greyback's voice suddenly called.

"Go," Lucius said to Voldemort. "We'll make sure Harry is okay."

"All of you go," Harry insisted. "It's just my leg."

"We're not leaving you," Severus insisted. "Father, place someone on the door so they can't get back to Harry."

"Will do," Voldemort replied with a nod as he vanished from the room.

Seconds later, Rodolphus appeared and flashing Severus a reassuring grin, he took up position in the doorway leading into the front room. Although, it wasn't the only protection Voldemort sent for his grandson, as the two Aurors appeared in the back door, ensuring no-one entered the cottage from the back.

"Hurry up, I don't want to miss all the action," Harry muttered.

"I think you've had enough action for the last few days," Severus told his son. "The second you're free, we're out of here."

"You're going to miss the opportunity to have a go at the men who kidnapped me?" Harry questioned. "I thought you would be out for vengeance."

"I am," Severus replied darkly. "I would just rather you didn't see my dark side."

"I'd rather like to show my dark side," Harry replied. "You can't just whisk me out of here, I need my vengeance."

"The boy has a point," Lucius remarked. "In his shoes, I would want revenge."

"Let's see how things stand when he's free," Severus muttered, turning back to the task at hand.

Five minutes later, Harry was free. His left ankle had been broken and he couldn't stand, but with his father and Lucius supporting him, he hobbled into through the front room and out of the cottage. Sadly the drama was already over, and Bill and Charlie were both lying on the road outside of the cottage garden, magically restrained. Harry could see they'd already undergone some damage and both boys were bleeding, but rather unhappily neither of them seemed badly injured.

"Ah Harry," Voldemort said with a grin. "Come and have some fun with these Weasels. I think they deserve to suffer, don't you?"

"I do," Harry agreed with a smirk as he looked down at Bill and Charlie. "It's payback time," He goaded the brothers as he pulled out his wand and prepared to do his worst.


	21. Chapter 21

Bill and Charlie were alone at The Burrow when an alert sounded on Bill's wand. Molly and Arthur were off having dinner with Percy, and the twins hadn't been around since they'd confronted their brothers after Harry had first went missing. The two eldest Weasley children had been enjoying a peaceful night when the alert came and changed everything.

"It's the cottage," Bill said with a frown. "Almost all of the wards have been attacked."

"What about the one prohibiting magic use?" Charlie questioned as he jumped to his feet.

"It can't be broken in any traditional way," Bill reassured his brother. "Whatever Harry is doing, he still can't use magic."

"Then how did he affect all the other wards?" Charlie asked.

"He didn't," Bill answered as he checked the alerts he'd received. "The attacks came from outside the cottage. Harry hasn't broken out, someone's broken in."

"Shit," Charlie swore. "How did they find him? I think the magic ward cloaked his location."

"It does," Bill replied. "So how he was found, I don't know. Of course, we're assuming it's a rescue attempt, but it might not be. Something else might be going on."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Do we go and find out, or stay here and hope for the best."

"What good's staying here?" Charlie snorted. "Harry knows we're behind his kidnapping, so we're screwed if it's a rescue, whether we stay here or go and investigate. I say we go and hope we can fight our way out. You never know an outburst of violence might be just what the wizarding world needs for it to wake up and see that the dark are a threat."

"Let's go," Bill said shortly as he raised his wand and nodded at his brother.

The pair vanished with matching cracks, and they reappeared on the dusky country street down the road from the cottage. Keeping their wands at the ready, the pair headed towards the cottage. As they approached the cottage they could immediately tell that something was amiss. The front door was missing and there was a foreboding feeling swirling in the air.

"What do you think?" Charlie whispered as they reached the gate. Looking around, he couldn't see or hear anything, but his instincts told him that he and Bill were not alone.

"We have to go in," Bill answered. "Just remember, the second we pass through the gate we'll have no magic."

"Can you not drop the ward?" Charlie asked his brother, not sure if he wanted to progress with no magic.

"I can, but it will mean if there's anyone inside, they'll regain the use of their magic," Bill answered. "I say we keep the ward in place and hope we have the physical edge over whoever is in there."

Hoping his brother had made the right call, Charlie followed after Bill as they slowly entered the garden. Cautiously making their way towards the house they paused briefly on the front step before ploughing forward. Instantly, they could see the destruction in the cottage, with chunks of ceiling lying on the floor and debris littering the entire front room. In fact it looked more like a scuffle had already taken place rather than any sort of rescue attempt.

"What happened here?" Charlie asked in a low whisper.

"We happened here," A cold voice answered and both Weasleys took in a deep breath when an irate looking Voldemort stepped from the shadows of the room.

Before they even had a chance to react, they sensed movement behind them and turning around they found a few more Death Eaters emerging from the shadows. Doing a quick head count, they found one of the Death Eaters hovering in the doorway which led to the kitchen, another one blocking the front door, a wizard and a witch on either side of Voldemort and another one pacing the floor like a caged animal.

"How nice of you to join us," Voldemort said with a malicious grin. "I think you both know what happens next."

"We both know you can't hurt us," Bill replied, sounding a lot more confident than he felt.

"I don't need magic to hurt you," Voldemort growled. "You kidnapped my grandson, I could kill you both with my bare hands. Or I could let Greyback tear you apart."

"Greyback?" Charlie muttered, his attention turning to the wizard that was pacing the floor. In return, Greyback gave him a chilling smile that showed off his sharp teeth and Charlie took an instinctive step backwards.

"Just say the word and I'll rip them limb from limb," Greyback snarled.

"Let's start with getting them outside," Voldemort instructed.

Bill and Charlie barely had time to react before the two Death Eaters on either side of Voldemort launched themselves at the pair and they found themselves ensconced in a tussle. The Death Eater guarding the front door quickly joined the fray, as did Greyback. Being young and fit, Bill and Charlie were able to hold their own for a while, but since it was four against two they were soon the ones who were bloody and bruised.

Voldemort stayed out of things and just watched as his Death Eaters got the upper hand and the two Weasleys began to be herded outside. Once they were out of the cottage, Voldemort pulled Rabastan out of the attack and informed him what would happen next. While Rabastan stayed at Voldemort's side, the others worked on getting Bill and Charlie over the boundary line of the cottage. The second they were out of the garden, Voldemort raised his wand and with a nod to Rabastan, the pair blasted the two redheads with the Cruciatius curse.

The curse on top of their other injuries, proved too much for Bill and Charlie, and despite being young, fit and healthy, they both let out cries of pain. Voldemort ignored their cries as he kept up the curse for a few more minutes. When he did drop the curse, he quickly bound the pair using magic and confiscated their wands. Just as he was contemplating what to do next, he heard movement behind him and found Harry, Severus and Lucius exiting the cottage. Harry was being supported by his father and Lucius, but aside from that, he looked just fine.

"Ah Harry," Voldemort greeted his grandson. "Come and have some fun with these Weasels. I think they deserve to suffer, don't you?"

"I do," Harry agreed. "It's payback time."

Bill and Charlie both looked up at Harry defiantly. Neither of them were sure what was in store for them, but they weren't going to give the dark the opportunity to see them scared.

"Consider this payback, not just for the kidnapping, but for all the years I had to put up with Ron," Harry said to the pair as his father handed him his wand, while continuing to support him alongside Lucius.

Bestowing the pair of them with his best chill inducing smirk, Harry raised his wand and hit Charlie with the Cruciatius curse. While the curse wasn't quite as potent as the one Voldemort had been using on them, it was still strong and there was certainly a lot of feeling in the spell from Harry. His rage, and eagerness to prove he was worthy of being The Dark Lord's grandson fuelled the curse and the longer he held it, the more painful it became for Charlie. The whimpers that Charlie had been submitting at first, increasingly grew in volume until he was howling with pain.

"Stop it," Bill cried unexpectedly, causing Harry to falter and lose focus in his spell. "I did this," He said when Voldemort and Harry looked towards him. "It was my plan. Punish me, not Charlie."

"There is no instead of option here," Voldemort cackled. "I don't care whose plan it was, you both took part in it, and therefore you will both feel the consequences."

"But since you insist on being held responsible, I've got a special treat in store for you," Severus said, making sure Lucius was fully supporting Harry before stepping forward and bending down beside Bill. "This is a very special spell I invented, and it hurts," He whispered menacingly as he pointed his wand at Bill. "Sectumsempra!"

Bill's screams echoed through the country lane as invisible knifes lashed through his skin. Within seconds, blood was seeping from hundreds of wounds and a pool of the sticky red stuff had started to pool around him.

"Will he survive this?" Voldemort asked his son.

"I don't know," Severus replied with an unconcerned shrug. "And frankly, I don't care. I'm taking Harry home now, I'll leave you to deal with these two thugs."

As Severus turned and gathered his injured son in his arms, Bill's cries of pain still echoed around the countryside. Beside him, Charlie was quietly whimpering, still suffering from the effects of the two Cruciatius curses. Voldemort watched his son and grandson disappear, before turning back to the two Weasleys.

"Nott," He called, making a decision about what he was going to do.

"My Lord," Bernard said, suddenly appearing at Voldemort's side. He'd been present the entire time, but he'd stayed out of sight and hadn't gotten involved.

"Arrest these two men," He ordered, handing the Minister of Magic the pair's wands. "Officially, their arrest was the result of an investigation by your Aurors. Aside from the Aurors, no-one else was here, is that understood?"

"Yes My Lord," Bernard replied with a nod. "I take it you want them to go to Azkaban for life."

"However long that is," Voldemort replied, looking down at Bill, who had gone quiet and was very pale. "I also want a statement released naming Bill and Charlie Weasley as Harry's kidnappers. I want the world to know what they did to my grandson."

"And if anyone asks questions about their injuries?" Bernard checked as his two Aurors stepped forward and began securing the two redheads.

"They resisted arrest," Voldemort answered smoothly. "I don't want this to come back on us in any way, Bernard," He warned in a low voice. "These two are the villains of the peace, not us."

Satisfied that Nott had things in hand, Voldemort thanked the Lestranges, Carrows and Greyback for their assistance. Turning to Lucius, he exchanged a relieved smile with his closest follower, before the pair apparated back to Voldemort's house to check on Harry and make sure everything was okay at home.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Relaxation wasn't on the menu back home as Harry's friends and family anxiously awaited news of his rescue. Hermione in particular was finding the waiting hard, and even though Beth had tried to get her to sit and down and relax, she'd taken to pacing the floor in the front room. Even Draco couldn't get her to sit down, and she'd just ignored anyone's attempts to stop her from pacing the floor. As a result of her pacing, it meant she was the first one to react when they heard sounds of apparition from the hallway. Sprinting out of the front room, she skidded into the hallway to find Harry being propped up by Severus.

"Harry." Without thinking she flew across the floor to her nephew and when she flung herself at him, the pair went crashing to the floor as Severus lost his grip on Harry.

"Ow," Harry muttered as his father scolded Hermione. "Thanks for the greeting, Hermione."

"I'm so sorry," Hermione cried, helping Severus get Harry back upright.

"It's okay," Harry replied, shooting his aunt a grin. "I missed you too."

"Harry," Beth cried as she and Rosmerta hurried over to him. Unlike Hermione they were more careful and they both hugged Harry without sending him flying.

"Where's Lucius?" Narcissa asked as Draco stepped forward to help Severus get Harry into the front room.

"He stayed with father," Severus replied. "We left them to deal with the Weasleys."

"After we'd had a go first," Harry added with a wicked smirk.

"So what happened here?" Beth asked as she checked out her grandson's broken ankle.

"I'm afraid that was us," Severus admitted with a wince as Beth fixed Harry's ankle and bound it up to keep it secure. "We had to blast our way into the house."

"It's okay, it's worth it to be safe and back home," Harry said.

"So what happened?" Draco asked his friend. "How did the Weasleys get you?"

"Perhaps we should wait until father returns," Severus suggested before Harry answered. "That way Harry only has to go through it once."

"I'll organise some tea," Beth said.

"You rest, Beth, I'll sort it," Narcissa said, urging her heavily pregnant friend to sit back down.

By the time Narcissa had sorted some tea with the house elves, Voldemort and Lucius had returned. After checking Harry was alright, Voldemort explained what he'd done with Bill and Charlie Weasley. Everyone agreed it was a good idea to let the authorities deal with them, but they all also hoped that they had permanent scars from what had happened to them that evening. Everyone hoped they suffered, especially since they'd brought it all on themselves. If they hadn't kidnapped Harry they would have been left alone, but as it was, they'd had their lives ruined by refusing to back down and accept the new order of things in the wizarding world.

"So what happened, Harry?" Severus asked his son. "How did they get you?"

"I was tricked," Harry answered with a snarl. "I was approached by Daphne, or at least I thought it was Daphne, and she led me to an alley behind The Hog's Head. By the time I realised it wasn't Daphne, she had me trapped. That's when Bill and Charlie turned up and they disarmed me before I could do anything. They then moved me to the cottage, and as you saw, I couldn't do magic there."

"This person posing as Daphne, it was Ginny, wasn't it?" Hermione questioned, although it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"I can't prove it, but she certainly acted as though it was," Harry replied. "Besides, who else would help Bill and Charlie?"

"I'll expel her," Severus snarled. "And we should have her arrested."

"Don't," Hermione said, a devious smirk appearing on her face. "Let me handle Ginny. We all agree she's a threat, so let me deal with her."

"How are you planning on doing that?" Voldemort asked his daughter, wondering just what she had in mind.

"You'll see," Hermione replied with a smirk. "But have patience. My plan isn't a quick one, but rest assured, she's going to regret taking part in Harry's kidnapping."

"Just make her suffer," Harry said to his aunt.

"She will," Hermione said, a cruel glint in her brown eyes.

"Just be careful," Beth warned her daughter. "Whatever you're going to do, don't get caught."

"She won't even know I've been involved in what's going to happen to her," Hermione promised her mother.

"Enough about revenge, let's celebrate having Harry back," Rosmerta said. She still wasn't as bloodthirsty as her new family, and although she thought the Weasleys deserved everything that came their way she wasn't entirely comfortable talking about vengeance so casually.

"Yes, let's all celebrate the hero," Harry said with a grin.

"How are you a hero?" Draco asked with a laugh.

"I'm not sure, but I'll think of a way I am before the end of the night," Harry retorted with a laugh of his own.

Smiling at the banter of her nephew and boyfriend, Hermione sat back and let her evil plan fully form in her mind. She'd meant what she'd said about it being a long term plan, but the end results would be worth it. All she would have to do was control her temper around Ginny, and play the long game. As tempting as it was to rush in and gain immediate vengeance on Ginny, she knew the plan she was hatching was the perfect way to get back at the troublesome redhead. And by the time Hermione was finished with her, she was confident that Ginny wouldn't be a problem anymore.


	22. Chapter 22

It was still fairly early when Draco and Hermione left the head dorms and headed down to the dungeons. After a late evening, during which they'd reassured themselves that Harry was fine and nothing too bad had happened to him during his kidnapping ordeal, the couple had returned to school and despite only grabbing a few hours' sleep they felt more refreshed than they had in days. Now they were heading down to the dungeons to let the other Slytherins know that Harry was safe and sound.

As the neared the Slytherin dorms, which were further into the dungeons than Hermione had ever ventured before, she felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine. It would be her first time in the Slytherin dorms, and she couldn't wait to see what she'd been missing out on over the last six and a half years. Despite now being fairly settled in Gryffindor, there was still a part of Hermione that longed to embrace her true Slytherin heritage.

Access to the Slytherin dorms came via a brick wall, which shifted into a door when Draco used the password. Following her boyfriend into the common room, Hermione instantly felt as though she belonged in the Slytherin common room. Unlike Gryffindor Tower, which was slightly garish for her liking, the Slytherin dungeons were more understated. The green and silver of Slytherin were still present throughout the room, but it was a more subtle look.

The common room housed black leather sofas, and all the tables and other furniture had the dark hue you would expect to find in the dungeons. Despite the early hour, there was a fire already roaring in the corner and Hermione longed to curl up on the chair nearest the fire with a book. Something told her it would be the perfect way to spend the day.

"Do you like?" Draco asked, watching as Hermione took in everything the Slytherin dungeons had to offer.

"Very much," Hermione replied. "This place feels like home."

"You mean you weren't at home up in Gryffindor Tower?" Draco laughed. "Or did all the gold and red make you nauseous?"

"Gryffindor Tower has a special place in my heart," Hermione admitted. She might have originally been a Gryffindor in order to pull the wool over the light's eyes, but she now felt a strong affliction with her house. "But I have to admit, seeing this place makes me long for what I missed out on. If it hadn't been for what happened the night Harry's mother died, Harry and I would have been down here since first year."

"I try not to think about what might have been," Draco said with a shrug. "It only drives you crazy thinking about how things could be different."

Knowing that Draco was referring to what had happened that summer, Hermione reached out and gave his hand a quick squeeze. As much as Draco had come to accept his wolf side and was even starting to enjoy the experience, she knew what had happened with the biting issue had prompted a few doubts in his head. Hermione just hoped that now things could get back to normal, Draco could get over his issues with biting her and go back to fully accepting the wolf inside him.

"Where are the girl's dorms?" Hermione asked.

"Are you not just going to wait for the others to get up?" Draco questioned.

"I doubt Daphne's sleeping," Hermione replied. She knew Harry's girlfriend had been deeply concerned about Harry and she was just regretting that they hadn't taken Daphne with them yesterday when they'd gone to wait for news on Harry's rescue.

"True," Draco conceded with a nod of his head. "The girls' rooms are through that door and up the stairs." Draco pointed Hermione in the direction of a door over the far side of the room, before pointing out a second door further along the wall. "That leads to the boys rooms, so I'll just pop up there for a bit. The door should be clearly labelled so you can find the seventh years room."

Following Draco's lead, Hermione passed through the door and climbed up a short, circular stone staircase. At the top of the staircase was a corridor lined with doors. Each door had a silver plaque on the front, indicating which year was housed in the room. Finding the seventh year's door, Hermione tapped quietly on the wood. Even though she doubted Daphne would be sleeping, she didn't want to wake the others.

When she heard Daphne's voice calling for her to enter, Hermione pushed open the door and found herself in a large stone bedroom. Like the bedrooms in Gryffindor Tower, there were four poster beds for all the girls, only the hangings were emerald green rather than the ruby red of Gryffindor. Like the rest of the dungeons, the floor and walls were all stone, but charms clearly kept the rooms at a liveable temperature as Hermione wasn't the slightest bit cold.

"Hermione?" Daphne whispered in confusion from where she was sitting on the bed opposite the door.

Noticing that the bed nearest to the door contained a snoring Pansy Parkinson, Hermione fought down the urge to rudely wake her up. Bypassing Pansy, Hermione made her way over to Daphne and quickly informed her that Harry had been found and that he was safe at home.

"Really?" Daphne squealed loudly as she threw her arms around Hermione. "That's great news."

Daphne's cry woke the other girls in the room, and Hermione was unsurprised when Pansy glared hatefully at her when she spotted her on Daphne's bed.

"What are you doing here, Granger? You're not a Slytherin," Pansy spat. "And what the hell is all the noise about?"

"Harry's been found," Daphne announced as she jumped out of bed.

"That's great," Tracey said with a smile. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, he's just resting at home for the rest of the term," Hermione answered.

"He's not coming back to school?" Daphne asked, her face falling at the news.

"Don't worry Daph, you can go and see him tonight," Hermione reassured the blonde Slytherin girl. "He was asking after you last night, and I know he's desperate to see you."

"What happened? How was he found?" Millicent asked as she and Tracey got out of their beds and joined Daphne as she sat back down next to Hermione.

"The Aurors have been looking into things since he went missing, and last night we got the news that they might be onto something," Hermione answered, sticking to the pre-prepared lie her father, Severus and Lucius had concocted with the Minister. Chances were Daphne would find out the truth, but for now it was easier to stick with the public story of Harry's rescue. "Anyway, the Aurors found Harry and arrested his kidnappers. Harry is at home recuperating, and his kidnappers are in custody."

"Who did it?" Daphne demanded, and Hermione saw a dark glint she'd never seen before in her eyes.

"A couple of the Weasleys," Hermione replied.

"I bet that cow Ginny was involved," Daphne hissed. "I swear, if I get my hands on her, I'm going to kill her."

"If she was involved the Aurors will find out," Hermione answered with a shrug.

"Don't you want to get her back if she was involved?" Daphne asked, giving Hermione a curious look.

"She'll get what's coming to her if she was involved, just like her brothers," Hermione replied calmly.

"And if you ever needed proof that you're not a true Slytherin, Granger, there it is," Pansy sneered as she got out of bed. "You may be The Dark Lord's daughter, but you're soft. I bet you couldn't have made Slytherin even if you'd wanted to."

"I wouldn't want to test my Slytherin side if I were you, Parkinson," Hermione hissed, fixing Pansy with her most deadly glare and smirking slightly when Pansy blanched in return. "I'm more of a Slytherin than you'll ever be, and I'm more than happy to prove it."

"You wouldn't have the balls," Pansy replied shakily.

"Try me," Hermione grinned.

"Let's not fight," Daphne interrupted, shooting Pansy a warning glare. "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm suddenly ravenous."

"I'm having the first shower," Pansy snapped as she shot Hermione one final glare before stalking into the bathroom in the corner of the room and slamming the door behind her.

"I'll wait for you down in the common room," Hermione said to Daphne.

"I'll not be long," Daphne replied, as she turned and started to get her things ready for the day.

As she headed towards the door, Hermione caught sight of Pansy's hairbrush lying on her bedside table and her plan for revenge on Ginny came back into her mind. Quickly checking no-one was watching she swiped the brush and hurried out of the room. Flying back down to the common room, she hurried over a shelf she'd seen that contained empty bottles and containers. Picking up one of the bottles she used magic to extract several strands of Pansy's hair from the brush and stored it in the bottle. Sealing the bottle back up, she slipped it into her pocket and casually threw Pansy's brush on a nearby chair and covered it with a cushion.

"What are you doing?" Draco's voice called from across the room and Hermione spun round to find her boyfriend standing at the door that led to the boys bedrooms watching her curiously.

"Just checking out where you've been living these last six years," Hermione replied. She was going to confide in Draco about her plan for revenge, especially since she needed his help for it to work, but she didn't think the Slytherin common room was the place to do it.

"Was Daphne pleased to hear about Harry?" Draco asked as he walked over to Hermione. She was up to something, he was certain of that, but he knew she would confide in him when she was ready.

"She was thrilled," Hermione replied with a smile. "She can't wait to go and see him. Were the boys happy?"

"Of course," Draco answered. "They're getting ready and then I think we're all going to go down to breakfast."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione said as she settled herself on one of the black sofas that were dotted around the room.

Hermione got to enjoy another forty minutes in the dungeons before everyone was up and ready to go for breakfast. Aside from Pansy, who according to Daphne was tearing the bedroom upside down to find her missing hairbrush, the other Slytherins all joined Hermione and Draco as they left the dungeons and headed to the Great Hall. It was still quite early, but other students were now up and about and they were by no means the first group to arrive for breakfast.

"Are you joining us?" Blaise asked Hermione, gesturing towards the Slytherin table at the far end of the hall.

"I was planning to," Hermione replied. "But first I just want to tell Neville, Dean and Seamus the news."

Hermione had just spotted the three Gryffindors entering the Great Hall, so while Draco and the Slytherins went to sit at their table, she headed over to speak to the trio. Neville, Dean and Seamus were thrilled with the news that Harry had been found and he wasn't seriously injured by his ordeal. Hermione refrained from informing the trio about who was responsible, but she did say that Severus would say a few words before the end of the meal.

After speaking to the three boys, Hermione joined Draco and the Slytherins at their table. Just as she'd finished grabbing a plate and filling it with food, a scowling Pansy stalked into the room. Hermione was guessing she hadn't found her brush as her hair wasn't as sleek as normal, although why she didn't just use magic to brush her hair was a mystery to Hermione. Pansy threw her a disgusted look, before flouncing off and settling herself at the far end of the table.

"She really doesn't like you," Theo chuckled.

"The feeling is entirely mutual," Hermione returned, casting a dark glare down the table to where Pansy was sitting.

"Here's Severus," Draco said, nudging her gently in the side.

Hermione tore her focus away from Pansy and turned around to witness her brother strolling into the Great Hall with Lucius and Narcissa. The three were talking together and the air of happiness radiating off them was obvious. Hermione was guessing that it was now obvious to everyone in the room that Harry had been found, since not only was Severus back but he was also smiling slightly.

As her brother carried on down the hall, Hermione's attention turned to the Gryffindor table and she scoured the students for Ginny. Finally, she spotted the redhead sitting at the end of the table. Ginny's head was down, but even so Hermione could see how pale she looked. Hermione hoped she was as nervous as hell, and she hoped the speech her brother was about to make would only increase her nervousness.

"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment," Severus called, resulting in silence falling over the Great Hall. "I just want to let everyone know that yesterday evening Harry was found."

As Severus reassured the students that Harry was fine, and he was just taking some time to recuperate fully, Hermione watched Ginny. The redhead had looked up enough to be watching Severus, but Hermione could see she was deathly pale and she was shaking slightly.

"I am not going into details about what happened, as the Ministry are still investigating," Severus continued. "But I can assure you that Harry's kidnappers have been caught and justice will be served."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle softly at the look of horror that appeared on Ginny's face at the news that Harry's kidnappers had been caught. Just then Ginny turned her head and her eyes locked with Hermione's. For a moment, Hermione saw the stark fear in her eyes, but she quickly shut it down and replaced it with a look of pure defiance. In return, Hermione gave Ginny a cold smirk, causing the younger witch to shiver slightly before dropping her head.

Hermione barely had time to bask in the fact she was scaring Ginny when McGonagall swept into the Great Hall. It was only as the Head of Gryffindor made her way to the Professors table and had a quiet word with Severus that Hermione even realised she hadn't been there. She watched with curiosity as instead of joining the Professors, McGonagall made her way over to Ginny and escorted her out of the Great Hall.

Between the Slytherins knowing about the Weasleys involvement in Harry's kidnapping, and McGonagall escorting Ginny out of breakfast, word about who was in custody was all over the school by mid-morning. By dinnertime there wasn't a student at Hogwarts that didn't know that Bill and Charlie Weasley had been arrested for Harry's kidnapping. Sadly for Hermione she never got more of a chance to see how Ginny was reacting as by the end of the day word had filtered through the school that she'd gone home and wasn't expected back before Christmas break.

"Looks like your plan for revenge will have to wait," Draco remarked to Hermione as they discussed Ginny's absence that evening in the head dorms. They'd decided not to go and visit Harry, so that he could have some much needed time alone with Daphne.

"It was always going to be a long term thing," Hermione replied with an unconcerned shrug. "Besides, it means we can get everything in place over the Christmas break."

"Are you going to tell me what this plan of yours entails?" Draco asked.

"All in good time," Hermione replied with a sly smile. "But for now, I just need to know one thing. How long do you think it will take you to be able to turn into a wolf when I'm around?"

"You want to get closer to my werewolf form?" Draco checked. Even though he and Greyback had talked about him being in his wolf form around the people he loved, he was still nervous given what had happened with the recent biting issues.

"Yes," Hermione answered. "I need this Draco. You need to put aside your worries and accept that you're a werewolf. I love you no matter what, but right now I need you to be the wolf I know you can be."

"Does this have something to do with Ginny?" Draco asked.

"It does," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "By Easter at the latest, I need you to be comfortable with being a wolf around me. Can you do that?"

"I can try," Draco replied. "It's the full moon in two days' time, so I can speak to Greyback about it."

"Just try your best and stop worrying," Hermione said, taking hold of Draco's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I trust you, and I know you would never hurt me. Believe in yourself, Draco, and you can do this."

Draco nodded warily, hoping that Hermione was right and that he did have some sort of control where she was concerned. He would never forgive himself if he attacked her in his wolf form, but it looked as though the test of his control was fast approaching. He'd soon know just how much control he had when he was a wolf and if his love for Hermione was strong enough to stop him from attacking her.


	23. Chapter 23

The end of term couldn't come soon enough for Harry, and he was thrilled when Hermione, Draco, Daphne and the others arrived home for Christmas. Even though he'd only been home alone for just over a week, it had been a long week. Both Rosmerta and Beth had fussed over him as though he was an invalid, and even Severus and Voldemort had checked up on him more than he would have liked. He was just hoping the holidays would get things back to some semblance of normality.

Fortunately for Harry, Christmas break soon took on a familiar quality with everyone preparing for the festive season. However, things weren't quite as laid back as normal as Voldemort and Severus were busy having meetings with Lucius and Bernard Nott as they decided how best to proceeded with the Weasleys. Since his kidnapping, Bill and Charlie had been in the Ministry's custody, albeit with Bill first spending a few days in St Mungo's in a critical condition following the curse Severus had thrown at him.

"I thought the whole point of arresting them was to throw them in Azkaban," Hermione remarked when the subject of the Weasleys was raised over dinner a few days before Christmas.

"It was," Voldemort replied. "Well that and to ensure no-one got any ideas about us being the bad guys. But the question is, do we just let them rot in Azkaban or give them the Dementors kiss? Do we also want to go through a trial, where Harry will have to relive his ordeal?"

"I'm more than happy to talk about what happened to me," Harry said.

"I don't see that a trial is necessary," Severus said with a frown. "They were caught red-handed, and the Aurors then got confessions out of them. I say let's deal with them as quickly as possible so we can move on."

"I'm with Severus on this one," Beth said. "Just sentence them to life imprisonment, and let us all move on. Come the New Year, we'll have a new member of the family, and I don't want to be caught up with trials as I'm giving birth."

"Just imprisonment or the kiss as well?" Voldemort asked.

"The kiss is too lenient," Hermione said.

"I've never heard it described as that before," Severus said with a chuckle. "It's supposed to be the worst pain imaginable."

"While it's happening, but then the suffering is over and whoever has had the kiss are nothing but empty shells," Hermione said. "But life imprisonment is a long term punishment. Bill and Charlie aren't that old, and they're going to have to spend the rest of their lives, locked up, thinking about what could have been and how they've let their family down. Especially when word reaches them about Ginny."

"Ginny?" Harry frowned. "You didn't mention your payback had already happened."

"It hasn't," Hermione answered with a shrug. "And it won't happen for a while yet. But the plan is in motion, and I can guarantee that it will tear Bill and Charlie up knowing what happens to her is all because of them and the fact they involved her in their plot to kidnap you."

"Just what are you planning on doing to the girl?" Beth asked her daughter.

"Let's just say she's going to meet my boyfriend on a bad day," Hermione replied with a smirk.

"You're going to let Draco at her in his wolf form?" Harry questioned, noticing the way Rosmerta gasped quietly and eyed Hermione warily. Despite being a part of the family, it was clear his stepmother was still squeamish when it came to seeing how truly dark her new family was.

"Is that safe?" Voldemort asked with a scowl. "Not that I don't trust Draco, but we all know he could end up hurting you if something went wrong."

"I trust Draco with my life," Hermione said. "Besides, we're not rushing into anything. He spoke to Greyback at the last full moon and he thinks Draco will be able to handle being around people starting from next full moon. It might take a few weeks, but before we move with Ginny, Draco will be completely comfortable around me in his wolf form. I'll be safe, I know I will."

"Let's hope you're right," Severus said, knowing it was pointless to argue with his sister, despite the fact her plan was dangerous for her.

"I am right," Hermione replied seriously. "But please keep your negativity to yourself when Draco is around. He's worried he's not ready for this, and I don't want anyone encouraging such thinking."

"But if he's worried that he's not ready, maybe you shouldn't push him," Beth said warily. She didn't want to upset her daughter, but at the same time she didn't want to see her in any danger.

"If I don't push him, he might never be ready," Hermione said. "Recent events with Harry and the biting have changed things for him, and he's not as confident about being a wolf. I need to give him that confidence back and I need to prove to him that I trust him. You lot need to do the same as well. He needs to know you trust him."

"We'll make sure he knows we trust him," Voldemort reassured his daughter, even though he wasn't sure how they were going to reassure Draco without making it sound like that hadn't trusted him before.

"All of you have to do it," Hermione said, her gaze focusing on Harry. Even though Harry had apologised for the trouble he'd caused, she knew Draco still thought Harry didn't trust him with Hermione around the full moon.

"I know I messed up, and I can fix it," Harry promised. "Draco won't doubt the trust I have in him again."

"Make sure he doesn't," Hermione said. "Although it might help you to know that Narcissa is mixing me a potion to use on the full moons. Because you got yourself kidnapped, it wasn't ready to go this month, but by next month I should have a batch."

"What sort of potion is it?" Beth asked.

"It prevents me from becoming exposed to Draco's wolf genes when he bites me," Hermione answered. "Of course it won't work if he's in his wolf form, but that isn't an issue as he would never bite me in his wolf form. But it does mean he doesn't have to worry about biting me at other times."

"Is this potion safe?" Severus asked, quietly deciding that he would speak to Narcissa about the potion she was making for his sister.

"Of course it's safe," Hermione said with an annoyed tut. "Do you really think Narcissa would give me something that wasn't safe? Although you could always help her since she has to alter it slightly before it's ready for me."

"Why does she have to alter it?" Rosmerta asked with a frown. Now the topic was away from revenge and darkness, she was happy to contribute and show her concern for her family.

"So it doesn't affect my kidney potion," Hermione answered. "I can't take another potion without first being sure it won't affect the one I'm already taking for my kidney. I don't want to take the second potion and have them cancelling each other out."

"I'll speak to Narcissa and see if she wants any assistance," Severus said with a nod.

"Okay, just don't be rude," Hermione warned. "I asked her to help me, and she's doing so because she cares about me."

"No-one was suggesting anything else, Hermione," Beth said gently. She had no doubt that her best friend had Hermione's best interests at heart, and she knew Narcissa would never do anything that could lead to Hermione getting hurt.

"It's very good of Narcissa to help you," Voldemort added.

Hermione nodded, satisfied that her family wasn't going to cause trouble with Draco and his parents. Not that she ever thought it was a possibility given how close the two families were, but it was still reassuring that her parents understood why she'd gone to Narcissa for help. She was also pleased that no-one seemed to have any real objections to her plans for Ginny. She would just have to prove that Draco could be trusted in his wolf form around her, but she was already confident of that. She knew her boyfriend, and she knew that even as a wolf that he loved her enough to stop himself from hurting her. Even if Draco didn't have total faith in himself, Hermione had more than enough faith for them both and she couldn't wait until the next full moon when she got to really meet the inner wolf of her boyfriend.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny sat curled up on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Its very presence seemed to be mocking her, with its Christmas lights twinkling merrily. Ginny was completely lacking he Christmas spirit, and it as a feeling that was shared among her family. In fact the tree only went up a few days ago as the twins tried to find a way to distract themselves from what was happening. Sadly, Ginny couldn't be distracted and all she could think about was her two oldest brothers.

From the second she'd heard Harry had been found, she'd known her brothers had been in trouble, but nothing had prepared her for what she'd faced upon her arrival home. Charlie had been in custody at the Ministry, with none of his family allowed to even visit him, while Bill had been in critical condition in St Mungo's. For a few days it was touch and go whether Bill would survive, but almost as soon as it was clear that he would live, the Ministry stepped in and turned his hospital room into a holding cell and as with Charlie, they barred all visits. Once Bill had been well enough to be moved, he'd been transferred to the Ministry and he'd been there ever since.

Arthur had been trying to get the Ministry to allow him to see his sons, but the Ministry wouldn't allow it until charges had been made against the pair. Arthur had managed to secure the pair a lawyer, but the news hadn't been good. Apparently since they'd been caught in the act, and subsequently confessed, there was no defence he could mount that would ensure their release. The best he could do was fight against them receiving anything like the Dementors kiss.

Ginny was currently at home with the twins as they waited for Percy and their parents to return from the Ministry. It was the day they would find out what fate awaited the eldest two Weasley siblings, and although Ginny had wanted to be there, Molly and Arthur had insisted she stayed at home. Ginny suspected they wanted her to stay at home as to avoid the press, as over the last few days the papers had been pretty brutal towards Bill, Charlie and the entire Weasley family in general. They were now the most hated family in the wizarding world, and the injustice of it all made Ginny want to scream and rail against the world. How was it fair that her family were the bad guys, when Voldemort was the dark wizard and it was his dark family that had created all the problems in the first place?

"Ginny," Fred's quiet voice drew her from her thoughts, and turning around to where Fred was standing in the kitchen doorway, Ginny heard the back door opening.

Jumping to her feet she ran into the kitchen in time to see her parents and brother entering. Molly was in flood of tears and she collapsed onto a kitchen chair. Arthur was looking almost as pale as his wife as he sat down beside her, shaking his head sadly.

"What happened?" George asked, directing the question to Percy as he seemed to be the one coping with things.

"They got life in Azkaban," Percy answered.

"What about their trial?" Ginny demanded. "They deserve a trial to prove their innocence."

"But they're not innocent, Ginny," Percy said gently. "They were caught and they confessed."

"More like a confession was beaten out of them," Ginny snorted. "Just look at Bill, he almost died because of what they did to him. How can they get away with it?"

"The Aurors are claiming they used due force and that Bill and Charlie resisted arrest," Percy replied. "But you know all this Ginny. You knew this was coming, and given the circumstances this is a good result."

"A good result?" Molly howled, lifting her head up and glaring at her son. "My boys won't see the light of day again and you call that a good result."

"You know what he meant, Mum," Fred said. "Bill and Charlie were in trouble the second they were stupid enough to kidnap Harry. Spending the rest of their lives in Azkaban isn't as bad as it could have been. They could have been killed or given the kiss. At least this way they're alive."

"Alive to spend the rest of their lives suffering," Molly sobbed. "My poor boys. I can't stand to think of them stuck in that awful prison."

"Can we appeal?" Ginny asked.

"No," Arthur answered quietly. "We've got no grounds for an appeal. Like it or not Ginny, your brothers are guilty. I wish things were different, and I wish there was something we could do, but our hands are tied. All we would do was land the rest of us in trouble."

"I can't just sit back and do nothing," Ginny screamed, stamping her foot like a petulant child.

"There's nothing you can do, Ginny," Percy said with a sigh. "Just look at Bill and Charlie. I bet right now they're wishing they'd left things well enough alone. If they had, they would have been here now."

"I will not roll over and let the dark win," Ginny seethed. "Not after the sacrifices Ron, Bill and Charlie have made. They wouldn't want us to give up, they would want us to fight."

"Haven't you learnt by now Ginny? Fighting isn't the answer," Percy snapped, growing annoyed with his little sister. "Just think about where all this fighting has gotten us. Who's been hurt in all of this? No-one on the dark side, just us. Fight and we will suffer more losses."

"Sometimes you need to lose a few battles before you can win the war," Ginny whispered as she turned on her heel and fled the kitchen.

Running up to her room, Ginny threw herself on her bed and spent the next hour crying over her brothers and the fact they were now prisoners of Azkaban. However, she wasn't going to be beaten and despite the fact that nothing had gone their way, she wasn't going to give up. She would not let her brothers sacrifices be in vain. She would gain revenge for Ron, Bill and Charlie, even if she had to die doing it.


	24. Chapter 24

Voldemort was in his study the day before Christmas Eve when a knock disturbed him. Knowing Beth and Hermione were out, so they hadn't let someone in, he deduced that the caller was someone with access to the house. Which basically meant it was his son, grandson or one of the Malfoys.

"Come in," Voldemort called, pushing aside the papers he'd been reading that Bernard Nott had sent over from the Ministry.

When the door opened, Draco appeared in his office. Normally Draco oozed confidence, but Voldemort could see that the blond boy was nervous about something. Voldemort just hoped recent events hadn't ruined the close relationship his family had with Draco. He'd always viewed Draco as part of the family and he hoped what had happened with the biting incident hadn't changed things for the young Slytherin.

"Draco," Voldemort greeted with a warm smile. "What can I do for you? Hermione isn't here I'm afraid, she's doing some last minute shopping with her mother."

"It's you I've come to see," Draco replied, his voice quieter than normal.

"Sit down," Voldemort offered, watching as Draco slid into one of the seats opposite his desk. "Is everything okay, Draco? You don't seem quite yourself."

"I'm fine, just a bit nervous," Draco admitted with a small smile.

"There's no need to be nervous," Voldemort reassured him. "I want you to know that nothing's changed, Draco. You're still part of this family and Beth and I couldn't think of a better wizard for our daughter than you."

"I'm pleased you think that, because it's Hermione I want to talk to you about," Draco said. "I love your daughter more than anything, and even though part of me thinks she can do better now I'm a werewolf, I don't want to lose her. Without her, I'd be lost and I really don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"I don't think you need to worry on that score, Draco," Voldemort interrupted with an affectionate chuckle. "Hermione thinks the world of you, and loves you regardless of your wolf nature. Not that being a werewolf is something to be ashamed of, especially since it's a result of protecting my daughter."

"Even so, I know it's not ideal," Draco admitted.

"Life isn't always ideal, Draco," Voldemort said. "We have to take the rough with the smooth. Just look at everything I've been through. I came so close to losing everything that mattered to me. But I picked myself up, struggled on for years, and now everything is working out just perfectly. I'm sure the same will happen for you and Hermione."

"I hope so," Draco said as he took a deep breath. "Hermione means the world to me, and I would like to ask your permission to propose to her."

Voldemort hadn't been expecting Draco's revelation, and he sat back in his chair, totally stunned. To be honest he'd always pictured that one day Draco would approach him about asking Hermione to marry him, but he'd never thought it would happen so soon.

"You don't have to say yes, I know having a werewolf as a son-in-law isn't most people's first choice," Draco said softly as he began to rise from his seat.

"Sit down, Draco," Voldemort ordered quietly. "I haven't said no, and if I did, it would have nothing to do with you being a werewolf. I've spoken to Greyback on numerous occasions and he's confident that if you carry on embracing your wolf side you'll have complete control in a matter of months. I've also spoken to Severus and he tells me that Narcissa had found a series of potions that can help ensure that Hermione never has to worry about also turning into a wolf. Unless of course you bite her in your wolf form, as you know, nothing can stop the transformation happening then."

"I would never bite Hermione as a wolf," Draco replied forcefully. "I would rather die than do anything to hurt her."

"I've never doubted it," Voldemort said, smiling at the blond wizard's devotion to his daughter. "I was just pointing out that you being a werewolf has nothing to do with the decision."

"But you're still going to say no," Draco stated.

"I never said that either," Voldemort said with a shake of his head. "Although, I would like to know one thing. Is she pregnant? Is that why you're asking me when you're still not finished school?"

"No, she's not pregnant," Draco replied, looking totally shocked at the very idea. "The truth is, Hermione proposed to me a few weeks ago. I told her that I wanted to do it properly, and that meant asking for your permission."

"Hermione proposed?" Voldemort questioned with an amused smirk. "Isn't that just typical of my daughter? She never has been one for traditions."

"She does like to do things her own way," Draco agreed. "But that's what makes her so amazing. I love that she knows her own mind and doesn't allow anyone to dictate to her."

"You're right there, and I think at the end of the day, if Hermione wants to marry you then there's nothing I can do to stop it," Voldemort said. "Fortunately, I don't want to stop it. As I said earlier, Beth and I couldn't hope for a better match for Hermione than you. So yes Draco, I give you my permission to propose to her."

"Thank you so much," Draco said, his face breaking out into a relieved smile. "I promise I will do everything I can to make her happy."

"I know you will," Voldemort said with a slight nod of his head. "I also know you'll look out for her. I know she's headstrong and independent, but I hope I can rely on you to protect her when she needs it."

"I'll protect her with my life," Draco vowed. He'd already proven he would put himself in harm's way for her, and he had no qualms about sacrificing himself in order to protect the witch he loved.

"That's all I can ask," Voldemort said, bestowing Draco with a small smile. "And since I've got you here, can I ask you about her plan for revenge on the Weasley girl. I know she plans on using you in your wolf form, but I want to know if her plan is safe."

"It is as long as I've got full control when I'm a wolf," Draco replied. "But don't worry, if I don't think I can do what she wants and still keep her safe, it won't be happening."

Voldemort nodded his approval, pleased that Draco would do his best to keep Hermione from getting in over her head. "Just make sure her plan is also free from repercussions. I don't want Hermione in trouble over whatever she's going to do."

"Don't worry, if she sticks to the plan she told me about, no-one will know either of us were involved," Draco promised. "Hermione's thought of every angle, and unless something goes drastically wrong, Hermione will get her revenge and we'll both be free of suspicion."

"Let's hope everything goes to plan then," Voldemort said. "And speaking of plans, do you have any idea how you're going to propose to Hermione?"

"Not really," Draco confessed. "All I know is that I want to do it over the holidays. I want us to start the New Year engaged."

Voldemort smiled at Draco as the young wizard thanked him again and got up to leave. He might not have expected Draco to ask his permission to marry Hermione, but he decided it was good news. It was yet another reason for the family to celebrate the upcoming year. His son was preparing to become a father again, his daughter was getting married and he and Beth were also getting ready for the patter of tiny feet. It was certainly going to be an exciting year ahead for Voldemort and his family.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After speaking to Voldemort, Draco had confided in his father that he was planning to propose and Lucius found him an old Malfoy ring that would be perfect for Hermione. With the ring in his possession, Draco just had to find the right moment to propose, but that was proving harder to do than he thought. On Christmas Eve, Beth held a party, but with so many people around, Draco never had the chance to propose. He did think about doing it on Christmas Day, but again the timing didn't seem right. However, on Boxing Day, he and Hermione had snuck off for a walk in the snowy grounds of the manor, and Draco thought it might be the perfect time for an official proposal.

Just as Draco and Hermione reached the pond, which was frozen over, and Draco was contemplating the best way to propose, Harry suddenly turned up. Normally Draco would have been pleased to see his best friend, but in this case his timing sucked and all Draco could do was glare at his best friend as he joined them on their walk.

"I thought you were with Daphne," Draco remarked, unable to hide the annoyance in his tone of voice.

"She's not feeling too well," Harry replied, seemingly oblivious to Draco's annoyance.

"I hope it's nothing serious," Hermione said.

"No, just a cold," Harry answered. "Although I can see why she's got a cold in this weather, it's freezing."

"It is quite chilly," Hermione said, shivering slightly.

"Why didn't you say you were cold?" Draco tutted, removing his scarf and wrapping it around his girlfriend's neck. "Do you want my jacket as well?"

"I'm okay," Hermione replied, wrapping Draco's scarf closer around her and inhaling his familiar scent.

"I'm cold, I'll have your jacket," Harry said, grinning at his best friend.

"I'm not giving you my jacket," Draco snorted.

"But I'm cold," Harry pouted.

"Tough, I don't control the weather," Draco shot back. "Besides, if you're cold, you should go inside."

Harry opened his mouth to continue the bickering when he spotted the look Draco was giving him. Suddenly understanding dawned on him and he felt like an idiot for intruding on his best friend and his aunt.

"You know what, I think I will go inside," Harry said. "I'll get one of the elves to make me some hot chocolate."

"Mmm, hot chocolate sounds nice, maybe we should all go inside," Hermione suggested.

"No," Harry and Draco yelled at the same time.

"What is going on?" Hermione asked, looking between her boyfriend and her nephew.

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly.

"Draco." Hermione turned to her boyfriend, knowing he found it harder to lie to her.

"Sod it, you were here the first time Harry, so you might as well be here again," Draco said with a roll of his eyes. Pulling a ring box out of his pocket, he dropped to one knee in the snow and looking up at Hermione he flipped open the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring. "Hermione, will you marry me?"

"That's it?" Harry spluttered. "Where's the big romantic speech about how you can't live without her and she's the love of your life."

"I'll save the dramatics for you to use when you're proposing to Daphne," Draco said, glaring at his best friend. "Hermione knows I love her, she doesn't need to hear some gushing speech."

"I don't know, a romantic speech sounds good to me," Hermione said with a mischievous smirk.

"You don't need a romantic speech, do you?" Draco moaned. "I'm freezing down here. Besides, you asked me first, so I'm kind of assuming you're going to say yes."

"What if I've changed my mind?" Hermione teased.

"Have you?" Draco asked.

"Of course not," Hermione laughed. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Harry grinned as Hermione launched herself at Draco and the pair went tumbling to the ground, seemingly oblivious to the cold snow they'd landed in. When the pair began to kiss and hands began to wander, Harry cleared his throat to stop things before it got too far.

"Perhaps outside in the snow isn't the best place to be getting frisky," He advised. "You might get frostbite in naughty places."

"We can't have that," Hermione said with a smirk as she and Draco got to their feet. "I have plans for Draco's naughty places."

"Don't need to know," Harry called, gagging as the pair shared a wicked smirk. "I'll just go back into the manor and prepare everyone for an announcement."

"Don't," Hermione warned. "We want to surprise everyone."

"Do you honestly think people don't know?" Harry laughed. "Grandpa told Dad and Beth when Draco asked for permission to ask you to marry him, and Draco got the ring off Lucius."

"How do you know that?" Draco asked.

"I heard your father telling Narcissa about the engagement," Harry answered with a shrug.

"So everyone knows?" Hermione questioned.

"Yep, I think so," Harry replied. "So you're not going to get the big surprise you wanted. Everyone's just waiting for you to make the announcement."

"If they're waiting we don't want to disappoint," Draco said, lacing his fingers with Hermione's. "Let's go and announce the good news."

Hand in hand, Draco and Hermione headed back to the manor with Harry. Of course, Harry was right and everyone was expecting the announcement, but it didn't mean that people weren't thrilled by the news. Everyone congratulated the couple, and Beth, Narcissa and Rosmerta instantly began making plans to turn the New Year's Eve party into an engagement party for the couple.


	25. Chapter 25

Hermione was more excited than normal about the New Year's Eve party at Malfoy Manor, and she made an extra effort getting ready. She'd settled on a new ice blue dress, and teamed it with silver accessories and jewellery. Satisfied she looked pretty impressive, Hermione wandered along to her parents' room to see how her mother was getting along. Beth had been quiet all day, and with been so heavily pregnant, Hermione was worried all the stress of the last few weeks was catching up with her mother.

"Mum," Hermione called, pushing open the bedroom door when she got no response from knocking.

Hermione's eyes swept across the master bedroom and found no sign of her mother. However, she figured she was nearby as her dress was lying on the bed, ready for the evening. Wondering if her mother was downstairs, Hermione turned to leave. However, just as she did, she heard a noise from the bathroom.

"Mum?" She questioned, heading over to the door that led to the adjoining bathroom in her parent's room.

"Hermione," Beth called from the bathroom. "Get in here."

Not bothering to knock, Hermione flew into the bathroom and found her mother clinging onto the sink. She was wearing a fluffy green dressing gown, and was clearly in the middle of getting dressed as her hair and make-up was done. However, she was breathing heavily and looked to be in pain.

"It's time," Beth panted.

"The baby's coming?" Hermione questioned, taken aback by what she was seeing. Even though she knew her mother was due to give birth soon, it wasn't expected to be until after she'd gone back to school.

"It is," Beth answered with a moan. "Get your father."

"Where is he?" Hermione asked.

"His study," Beth gasped, clutching at her stomach as a wave of pain hit her.

"I can't leave you," Hermione stated, moving over to her mother's side and wrapping an arm around her.

Shouting for a house elf, Hermione dispatched it to go and inform Voldemort of the situation, while she stayed with her mother. A few minutes later she heard pounding feet on the stairs, and then a frantic looking Voldemort entered the bathroom. Hermione had never seen her father so flustered, and she had to chuckle at the panicked expression on his face when he set eyes on his wife.

"It's not time," He spluttered.

"You try telling the baby that," Beth replied with a slight snarl. "This baby is coming now."

"We best get going then," Voldemort said, shaking his head and snapping out of his shock. "Hermione, grab your mother's bag. It's ready waiting in the wardrobe."

"I need to change," Beth panted as Hermione went for her bag.

"It doesn't matter what you're wearing," Voldemort said to his wife as he helped her move from the bathroom into the bedroom.

"I'm not wearing anything but this dressing gown," Beth replied.

"I'll handle it," Voldemort said as he pulled out his wand. A couple of twirls later, Beth was magically dressed in a long flowing skirt and a loose top.

"I've got the bag," Hermione cried, bolting from the wardrobe clutching her mother's pre-prepared bag.

"Let's go then," Voldemort announced.

Instead of going all the way down to the floo room, Voldemort connected the fire in the bedroom to the floo network and the trio headed off to the private hospital the family used. Almost immediately they were surrounded by healers and medi-witches, and Beth was rushed off to the maternity ward. Hermione barely had time to pass her father Beth's bag before the pair was sequestered in a private room, and Hermione was left standing outside, not sure of what to do.

"There's a relative's room down the hall," one of the medi-witches said kindly. "I'll come and let you know what's going on once we've got your mother settled."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she set off to the room the medi-witch had directed her to.

Hermione thought about contacting Severus, but she didn't want to leave the room until she knew everything was okay with her mother. She knew with magic, it was easier for women to have children later in life, but her mother wasn't exactly a spring chicken. It had been eighteen years since she'd last given birth, and although it had been an easy pregnancy, she knew both her parents had been slightly worried about the actual birth.

Thankfully, Hermione didn't have to wait long for news and the very nice medi-witch returned to assure her that her mother was doing just fine. Beth was definitely in labour, and they were predicting the baby would arrive either later that evening or in the early hours of the following day.

"Your father asked if you could contact your brother," The medi-witch said.

"I will do," Hermione replied with a nod. "Do you have a floo connection I can use?"

"Of course, there's a connection at check-in that you can use," The medi-witch replied.

Hermione followed the medi-witch back through to the check-in area and was pointed to a floo connection that was free for public use. It was also a connection used purely for calls, so Hermione didn't have to worry about stopping someone else from using it if she was busy making a call.

Hermione's first call was to Severus, and she spoke to her brother for a few minutes as she filled him in on what was happening. Once she'd spoken to Severus, who promised her that he, Rosmerta and Harry would be there as soon as possible, Hermione placed a call to Malfoy Manor. Lucius was the one to answer the call and she quickly explained to her boyfriend's father than Beth was in labour, so they wouldn't be able to attend the party. Of course Lucius wasn't bothered by the party, and like Severus he'd promised Hermione that he and his family would be at the hospital as fast as they could manage.

Hermione had no sooner returned to the waiting room when Severus, Rosmerta and Harry arrived. The trio were clearly already dressed for the party, but partying was the last thing on their minds as they checked Beth was okay.

"They're expecting the baby sometime overnight," Hermione explained to her family.

"How can they be so sure?" Harry asked as he took a seat next to his niece. "I always thought giving birth was unpredictable, and how long it takes varies on woman to woman."

"It does," Rosmerta explained. "But with magic they can estimate how long it will take for a witch to give birth. The closer it gets, the more accurate they can be with the timing. By the end, they can pinpoint the birth to a matter of minutes."

"How do you know all that?" Harry asked his stepmother.

"I am expecting a baby of my own," Rosmerta replied with a low chuckle as she placed a hand on her slowly expanding stomach. "I've done a lot of reading so that I know what to expect."

"So by morning, we're going to have a new baby brother or sister?" Severus checked.

"Yep," Hermione answered with a nod. "Personally, I hope it's a girl. I'd like a little sister."

"They're more trouble then they're worth," Severus joked, flashing Hermione a teasing smile.

"A bit like big brothers, then," Hermione shot back. "Always nagging, and bossing you around."

"You've got room to talk with the nagging and bossing people around," Harry laughed. "You're the bossiest witch I've ever met. You've bossed me and Draco around from the start. And you're always nagging us, honestly, I don't know how we put up with you."

"It must be because you love me," Hermione replied with a sweet smile.

Harry rolled his eyes, but he didn't get a chance to reply as the door to the room opened and the three Malfoys appeared. Like everyone else they were dressed for the party, but they didn't seem overly concerned with missing the festivities.

"You really didn't have to come," Hermione said as she hugged Narcissa.

"Where else would we be?" Narcissa questioned. "My best friend is giving birth again, and I want to be here for her."

"What about the party?" Harry asked. "Did you cancel it?"

"No, it's going ahead," Lucius replied. "I spoke to Bernard and Ezra and explained the situation. They're going to hold the fort until we can get back. I'll probably flick between here and the party."

"If any of you three want to go to the party, we can let you know when there's news," Severus offered the trio.

"I'm staying here," Hermione replied with a stubborn shake of her head.

"And I'd rather stay with Hermione," Draco said, taking hold of his fiancée's hand.

"I might go and see Daphne later, but for now, I'm happy to stay here," Harry said.

"You can go if you want," Hermione whispered to Draco as the adults started chatting to each other. "I know you were looking forward to tonight."

"Because I was going to spend the evening with my lovely fiancée," Draco retorted, giving Hermione a wide smile. "I'd rather be with you. We can tell people our news and celebrate later."

"As long as you're sure," Hermione said.

"I'm sure," Draco reassured her as he gave her a quick kiss.

As the night progressed, Lucius kept to his word and he headed off to keep an eye on the party a couple of times. Harry also briefly went to see Daphne, and let her know that he hadn't stood her up. However, by midnight everyone was back in the waiting room and they quietly saw in the New Year just the seven of them.

Ten minutes after midnight, the doors burst open and Voldemort entered the room, a wide smile on his face.

"It's a girl," He proudly announced. "I've got another lovely daughter."

The group heartedly congratulated Voldemort, who told them they could visit Beth and the baby in small groups. Hermione and Severus went in to see her first and Hermione was overcome with emotion as she found her mother propped up in bed, cradling a tiny little bundle.

"She's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," Hermione said, welling up as she looked at her little sister.

"She's lovely, Beth," Severus added, gently stroking his new sister's head.

"Do you want to hold her?" Beth asked Hermione.

"Me?" Hermione bit her lower lip nervously. "What if I drop her?"

"You won't," Beth answered confidently.

"Okay then," Hermione said as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Hermione moved closer to her mother's bed, and ever so gently Beth passed her new little sister over to her. Despite her nerves, Hermione held her sister securely in her arms as she gazed down at her, overcome with love for the tiny person her mother had just given birth to.

"You're the luckiest little girl in the world," Hermione whispered to her new sister. "You couldn't ask for better parents, and you've got a big brother who is the best."

"And she's got a big sister who is also pretty great," Severus added, wrapping an arm around Hermione and dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Hermione asked as she gently handed her sister back to her mother.

"Not yet," Beth admitted. "We were hoping inspiration would strike when we met her."

"It will," Voldemort said, perching on the bed beside Beth. "Just look at Hermione. She had no name for two days because none of them seemed to suit her. Then one day we just looked at her and knew she was called Hermione. It'll be the same with this little one. She'll end up with the perfect name."

Hermione and Severus stayed with Beth for another five minutes, before they headed back into the waiting room and gave the rest of the family a chance to visit with the newest arrival. Rosmerta and Harry were next to visit, followed by Lucius, Narcissa and Draco. By the time the Malfoys had finished visiting with Beth, she was tired and the healers wanted her to rest for the remainder of the evening.

"You lot should go and enjoy the rest of the party," Voldemort urged. "Beth and the baby will be home tomorrow, so you can visit some more then."

"I can stay if you want," Hermione offered.

"No princess, you go and have some fun with Draco," Voldemort said, giving Hermione an affectionate peck on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, and you can help make sure everything is ready for your mother and sister coming home."

"And I will," Hermione vowed. "Everything will be perfect."

"With you in charge, I have no doubt it will be," Voldemort chuckled, urging his daughter to go and have some fun.

Doing as her father asked, Hermione headed to Malfoy Manor with the others. Despite it being after midnight the party was still going strong, and Hermione found herself celebrating with Draco, Harry and their friends. While most of the attention was on Beth, and the baby she'd just had, Harry managed to let it slip about Draco and Hermione's engagement, so that was celebrated as well. It may not have been the party that was planned for, or the one that anyone expected, but it was good party and Hermione was thrilled with the added bonus of getting a new sister. What better way was there to celebrate the New Year than to welcome a new member of the family?


	26. Chapter 26

On the morning she was due back at Hogwarts, Hermione was up early so she could have a few extra hours with her new little sister. After much deliberation Voldemort and Beth had named their little girl, Charlotte, or Lottie as she was affectionately known. Hermione had fallen head over heels for her little sister, and she was disappointed to be going back to school so soon after her arrival. Still, she was only at Hogwarts for a few more months, and then she could see her little sister whenever she wanted.

"You be good, Lottie," Hermione said to her sister as she sat on the sofa cradling her in her arms. "And I'll see you very soon."

"You're going to be late if you don't get a move on, Hermione," Beth warned as she entered the front room and walked over to where her two daughters were sitting. "Do you have everything packed?"

"My bags packed, I just need to grab it before we leave," Hermione replied.

"Well, go and do it now before Rosmerta and Harry arrive," Beth ordered, taking Charlotte off Hermione so her eldest daughter could go and get sorted.

Despite wanting to stay with Charlotte, Hermione headed off upstairs to grab her bag. She had a quick sweep around her room in case she'd forgotten something, and let out a sigh of relief that she'd made the extra check when she spotted the small vial of polyjuice potion on her bedside table. She actually had a large jar of polyjuice potion in her bag, thanks to Severus, but the smaller vial was for her to hopefully use by the end of the day. It was time to put her plan of dealing with Ginny into action, and she was hoping that it would be fast moving and she could start it right away.

Slipping the vial of polyjuice potion into her pocket, and casting a spell on it to ensure that it didn't break, Hermione grabbed her bag and headed back downstairs. By the time she arrived in the front room not only had Rosmerta and Harry arrived, but Draco was also in the front room. Rosmerta was busy cooing over Charlotte, while Harry and Draco were laughing about something and seemingly had very little interest in the new baby.

"I'll see you soon sweetheart," Beth said, giving Hermione a kiss. "And be careful with the Weasley girl."

"Don't worry, I will be," Hermione reassured her mother.

"I mean it Hermione," Beth warned. "Vengeance isn't worth risking everything for."

"She needs dealing with," Hermione said firmly. "Not just because of her part in Harry's kidnapping, but because she's a threat. She's likely the only real threat to us at all anymore. With Bill and Charlie out of the picture, the Order is pretty much defunct. Molly and Arthur are too broken to fight, but Ginny won't give up. Unless we want her stirring up more trouble we need to deal with her."

"I agree she's a danger," Beth said. "Just make sure you don't put yourself in danger just to silence her. There's only so much we can do to protect you, Hermione."

"Are you talking about the werewolf thing?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Because Draco's spoken to Greyback, and he doesn't see a problem with introducing me to Draco in his wolf form. He's confident Draco can handle it."

"We're not worried about Draco," Beth replied, giving Draco a reassuring smile. "We know he'll do everything in his power not to hurt you. I'm talking about you showing the Weasley girl just what you're capable of. She's going to hurl all sorts of accusations around, and sometimes mud sticks. If people start believing her, it could be a problem for you, and therefore for all of us. People might start to rebel."

"Why would people suddenly believe her now?" Hermione questioned with an unconcerned shrug. "The Order have been protesting since Father killed Dumbledore at the end of fifth year, and they didn't exactly get a wave of support then. Since then it's been the Order who have come over as the bad guys, with what Ron did to Harry and I, and then what Bill and Charlie did to Harry. I don't think there's many people willing to believe the Weasleys anymore."

"Even so, be careful," Beth repeated. "You know as well as I do that things could change in an instant. People are happy not to fight, because right now they don't see any need to. All it takes is for one person to decide that the new regime is bad news for the wizarding world, and we could have a full scale rebellion on our hands. I know we could handle it, and we would likely revert back to your father's initial plans of taking power by force, but I think we'd all rather avoid that. Let's try and maintain what we've already achieved."

"Don't worry, I won't cause a full scale war," Hermione vowed. "As I've said before, by the time I've finished with Ginny, no-one will believe a word she says. That is, if she even has the guts to say anything. She's more than likely going to hide away and leave us alone."

"I hate to interrupt, but if we don't leave now, we're going to be late," Rosmerta said, jumping in before the conversation could continue.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Hermione reassured Beth as she gave her mother and baby sister one final kiss goodbye and picked up her bag. "Right, let's go."

Pulling out their wands the group headed to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, where they arrived just in time to say a quick goodbye to Rosmerta and hop on the train before it began to depart the station.

"Whew, that was close," Harry remarked as the train began to pull out of King's Cross Station. "I wonder if the others are already settled somewhere."

"More than likely," Draco said. "Shall we go and find them?"

"Let's," Hermione agreed. "But keep an eye out for Ginny, I need a word with her."

"Already?" Draco questioned with a frown.

"The sooner we get going with the plan the better," Hermione replied with a shrug.

Sadly for Hermione, Ginny wasn't among the people they ran into as they searched for their friends. Several people they saw expressed their happiness that Harry was back safe and well, including Neville, Dean and Seamus, whom Harry and Hermione chatted to for nearly five minutes before carrying on their journey. Finally they found the others sitting together in a compartment and they joined their friends.

"We thought you three weren't coming back," Theo joked as the trio settled down.

"We wouldn't miss the rest of the year for anything," Hermione replied with a devious smile.

"Are we expecting fun and games?" Blaise asked excitedly.

"No," Draco answered, jumping in before Hermione let something slip that might later get her into trouble. "We're just looking forward to the last few months of school, and then we'll be free."

"Not all of us will be entirely free though," Blaise said, putting his arm around Luna. "Poor Luna still has another year to go before she graduates."

"A year isn't long," Luna said with a shrug. "You'll just have to come and visit me."

"Just you try and stop me," Blaise said, grinning at his girlfriend. "I'll be up in Hogsmeade all the time."

"Doing what?" Theo asked. "You can't just hang around the village, hoping for a glimpse of Luna in the distance at Hogwarts. Hogsmeade weekends are only every couple of months."

"I'll just have to find myself something to do then," Blaise replied with a shrug. "Hey Harry, you could talk to Rosmerta and convince her to hire me as a barman for the pub. I could even rise to manager. I'd be better than that sap she's got running the place at the moment."

"I thought you would have had grander ambitions than working in a pub, Blaise," Daphne remarked.

"It would only be a stepping stone on my way to owning a whole chain of pubs up and down the country," Blaise replied.

"Is that what you want to do?" Hermione asked.

"Quite possibly," Blaise admitted with a nod. "I quite like the idea of being in the hospitality industry. I could just picture myself in ten years' time with quite the little empire."

"I can talk to Rosmerta if you want," Harry offered. "I'm sure she'd love to have someone like you involved with the pub."

"Cheers, Harry," Blaise said with a grin.

Blaise's admission of his plans for the future got other people talking about their plans for what they were going to do after school. While Daphne was confessing her desire to own her own fashion business, Hermione excused herself and slipped out of the compartment. However, she hadn't even made it a few steps away from the compartment, when she felt Draco's hand on her arm.

"What's wrong?" She asked, turning to her boyfriend.

"I'm keeping an eye on you," Draco replied. "You're off looking for trouble, aren't you?"

"I was going to the bathroom if you must know," Hermione lied.

"Nice try, but I know you too well," Draco chuckled. "Just let me come with you to keep an eye on things."

"Fine, but do not interfere," Hermione warned. "I want a reaction from Ginny, and I don't want you getting in the way of that. Just remember whatever she does to me, she's going to get ten times worse when the time is right."

Draco wasn't happy with standing back and letting Ginny do whatever she wanted to Hermione, especially as he knew his fiancée was going to try and get some sort of explosive reaction from her, but he didn't have any choice by agree to Hermione's conditions. Although for quite a while it looked as though he wouldn't have to worry about Ginny as by the time they'd walked the entire length of the train, they still hadn't seen the redhead.

"I hope you don't intend to prowl the train all day," Draco cautioned. "Someone will pick up on that and they'll say you were deliberately looking for the Weaselette."

"I know," Hermione admitted with an annoyed sigh. "Let's head back, and if we don't see her we can try again later."

Luckily for Hermione, fate was on her side as halfway back down the train, she literally ran into Ginny. Ginny emerged from the bathrooms just as Hermione and Draco were passing, and thanks to the fact she wasn't paying attention she went straight into Hermione.

"Watch where you're going, Weaselette," Hermione snarled, inwardly cheering at the fact she'd found Ginny so easily.

"You watch where you're going, bitch," Ginny snapped back.

"Tough words from such a little rodent," Hermione taunted. "I have to admit, I'm surprised to see you."

"Thought I would stay away, did you?" Ginny gloated.

"I would have if I was in your shoes," Hermione replied with a casual shrug. "You're going to be public enemy number one, Ginny. Do you honestly think anyone will want to know you after what your brothers did?"

"Bill and Charlie were trying to do the world a favour, and one day everyone will see that," Ginny snarled, glaring hatefully at Hermione. "Make the most of the peace, because it won't last. People will see through you and your family soon enough, and when they do, I'll be right there to watch your downfall."

"I'm sure that's what Ron thought, and look at him now," Hermione said in a low voice as she leant closer to Ginny so only she could hear what she was saying. "Maybe you ought to remember what happens to troublesome Weasels – they get put down. Can you swim, Ginny?"

"You bitch," Ginny screamed, grabbing Hermione by the hair and yanking her onto the floor.

Despite trying to goad Ginny, Hermione was genuinely surprised by her attack, and the force of it. Before she knew where she was, she was on the floor, with Ginny on top of her, clawing and hitting her. Hermione waited until she felt her lip split and blood trickle into her mouth before she made it look as though she was trying to fight back, although she was careful not to land any blows to Ginny. After all, she didn't want the redhead to get any sympathy if she too was hurt in the altercation. As she fought back, Hermione caught Draco's eye and silently pleaded for him to help her. Luckily her fiancé had merely been waiting for her signal, and he quickly waded in and plucked a struggling Ginny off Hermione.

"Enough," He barked roughly at Ginny as he all but threw her against the wall of the train and restrained her. He'd wanted to step in the moment she'd touched Hermione, but he'd done as Hermione wanted and waited before jumping in.

"Let me go," Ginny cried, thrashing against the tight hold Draco had of her.

"Not yet," Draco replied calmly as he glanced over to Hermione, who was on her feet but had done nothing to wipe away the blood that was dripping from her lip. He knew Hermione had deliberately left the blood running down her face as to put on a show for the dozens of students who were now peering out of their compartments to see what the fuss was. "Are you okay, Hermione?"

"I'll be fine," Hermione answered, making a dramatic show of gingerly wiping the blood of her face.

"You go back to the others, I'll deal with the Weaselette," Draco ordered.

Hermione nodded and giving Draco a smile, she squeezed past her fiancé and headed back towards their friends. Draco waited until Hermione had passed, before turning back to Ginny and giving her his most deadly glare.

"This is a friendly warning, Weaselette," Draco hissed in a low menacing voice, keeping it just loud enough for the few gawkers nearby to hear him. "You touch my fiancée again, and you'll regret it. Stay away from Hermione."

Draco gave Ginny one final rough shake, before he let go of her. Turning on his heel, he stalked after Hermione, and caught up with her before they reached the compartment where their friends were sitting.

"Well, how did it go?" He asked, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend.

"Perfect," Hermione replied, giving her fiancé a quick grin before they headed into the compartment to spend the rest of the journey relaxing with their friends.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny was annoyed beyond belief that she hadn't even made it back to Hogwarts before having a run-in with Hermione. Given what had happened to Bill and Charlie her parents had been reluctant to let her go back to school, but Ginny had refused to stay away. Ironically at the beginning of the year she would have willingly skipped school, but now she was the only one left to fight and she wanted to keep a close eye on Hermione and Harry as she tried to come up with a fresh plan of action that wouldn't fail. With everything that had happened, Ginny knew she had to move carefully and she couldn't go in all guns blazing, but she hadn't expected Hermione to be so openly hostile towards her. In the end she just couldn't stop herself from reacting, and Ginny now knew she had to be careful. She'd come out on top of the fight, but she knew Hermione, and she knew the older witch wouldn't take what happened lying down. She would try for revenge, but Ginny was planning on being fully alert and not giving Hermione the opportunity to get her back.

As if the run-in itself hadn't been annoying enough on its own, the rumours that were travelling around by the time they reached Hogwarts merely added to Ginny's frustrations. She was definitely coming out of things as the villain, as Hermione had been so sneaky that it looked as though Ginny had attacked her for no reason. No-one had been close enough to hear what Hermione had said to provoke the attack, and then there was the fact Hermione had been seen with blood on her face following the scuffle, whereas Ginny had come away without even a scratch. In hindsight, Ginny could see it was all deliberate on Hermione's part, and she'd ensured that she didn't strike back so that she would look like the victim. Sadly, her plan was working and by the end of the feast, Ginny felt even more ostracised than she had been before Christmas.

Although it really didn't help that Harry was making his triumphant return, reminding people that it had been her brothers that had kidnapped him. If people weren't turning against her for attacking Hermione, they were against her for what Bill and Charlie had done. Ginny was quickly realising that she was all alone in Hogwarts. She had no real support, and it was going to be a tough job convincing anyone that Hermione, Harry and their family were bad news. Still, she wasn't going to be deterred, and she had her focus set on the long term. Ginny doubted she could do much for the rest of the year, but she knew the following year Hermione and Harry would be gone, and she would hopefully have a better time convincing people they were truly evil if they weren't around, playing all nice and innocent.

Instead of heading straight up to Gryffindor Tower after dinner, Ginny decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She knew the months ahead would be tough, and she would only survive them by learning to control her temper. But she was hoping if she could get to the end of the year unscathed, she could return next year and really take advantage of Hermione and Harry finishing school.

Ginny strolled around The Black Lake and circled the castle, before returning to the school. Just as she was entering the front doors, Pansy Parkinson was emerging from the stairs that led to the dungeons. Ginny had never had much contact with Pansy, but since she was a Slytherin and a friend of Malfoy's, she pointedly ignored her and made her way over to the stairs.

"Weasley," Pansy called, just as Ginny was about to step on the first step.

"What do you want, Parkinson?" Ginny asked warily, turning around to face the raven haired witch.

"To congratulate you," Pansy replied with a smirk. "I heard you landed a good blow on that cow Granger today."

"You're pleased I hit Hermione?" Ginny questioned sceptically. "I thought all you Slytherins adored her."

"I can't stand the pretentious bitch," Pansy sneered. "Everyone thinks we should bow at her feet, just because she happens to be The Dark Lord's daughter. Personally, I don't care who she is. She's annoying, and quite frankly deserved everything you threw at her on the train."

"Yeah right," Ginny snorted. "I'm not falling for it, Parkinson. I don't know what you're playing at, but I don't believe you want to congratulate me."

"Believe what you want," Pansy replied with a shrug. "Anyone with eyes knows I can't stand Granger, and the feeling is entirely mutual. I just wish I was in a position to bring her down to size like you did today."

"You want to hit Hermione?" Ginny questioned, trying to cast her mind back and see if she could remember Hermione and Pansy being friendly over the last couple of years. However, she couldn't really remember either way so she made a mental note to watch them over the next few weeks and see how they interacted.

"More than you will ever know," Pansy answered.

"Why don't you?" Ginny asked.

"As I said, she's the daughter of The Dark Lord," Pansy replied with another shrug. "I'm not in any position to hit her. However, I can rejoice when someone else does it. You made my day, Weasley, so thank you."

Pansy gave Ginny a final smirk before she carried on past her and down the corridor that led towards the kitchens. Ginny watched her go, wondering if she could use Pansy and her hatred for Hermione in any way. Her thoughts full of revenge and Pansy, Ginny headed on up to Gryffindor Tower. As she disappeared up the stairs, Pansy once again appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a wicked smirk on her face.

"Perfect," she purred, before she also began climbing the stairs and making her way back to her own rooms, which weren't in the dungeons after all.


	27. Chapter 27

January's full moon fell on a Saturday, and Hermione was especially anxious about what would happen. Draco had spoken to Greyback before they'd returned to school, and Lucius had been in touch with the werewolf since their return, making sure everything was set up for the evening, although Hermione still didn't know how things were going to run.

"I'm not sure," Draco admitted when Hermione asked him while they were getting dressed.

"How can you not know what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure everything will be explained when we get to the manor," Draco replied. "Speaking of which, father says he'll take us home this afternoon. We just need to make sure no-one comes looking for us and finds the head dorms empty."

"Severus can stop the staff looking for us," Hermione said. "We can tell our friends we're studying, and get Harry to ensure they don't try and find us."

"Will they really think we're studying all afternoon and night?" Draco questioned.

"I'm sure we can imply we'll be doing other stuff as well," Hermione replied with a smirk. "I'm sure they won't want to disturb us if they think we're in bed."

"I wish we were going to be in bed," Draco remarked, wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist and nuzzling into her neck.

"I'm sure we can make up for it tomorrow," Hermione replied. "I've got my potion now, so we don't need to worry about the biting."

"How sure are you that it works?" Draco questioned.

"Both your mother and Severus are sure it will work perfectly," Hermione answered, turning around and wrapping her arms around Draco's neck. "Trust me, Draco. Don't worry, and just do what comes naturally tomorrow."

"And today?" Draco asked, slipping a hand down Hermione's back to cup her backside.

"I'm sure we can skip breakfast," Hermione laughed as they tumbled back onto Draco's bed.

By the time the couple finally tore themselves out of bed it was nearly lunchtime. Ironically their lie-in worked in their favour and when they headed back to their dorms after lunch claiming they had to work all afternoon, all their friends decided they were heading back to their rooms to carry on with what they'd started that morning. Now all they had to do was hope Harry kept everyone away, which he'd promised to do when Draco had a quiet word with him over lunch.

It was nearly an hour after lunch before Lucius appeared in the head dorms, ready to escort them to Malfoy Manor. Draco had half expected his mother to be with him, but Lucius explained that he'd persuaded Narcissa to remain at Hogwarts. Draco was secretly pleased his mother wasn't going to be around the first time he was in contact with anyone in his wolf form.

"Come on then," Lucius said, connecting the floo network.

One by one they travelled to the manor, landing in the room Lucius and Narcissa used for floo visitors. No sooner had they arrived then the floo lit up again and Greyback emerged, followed by Voldemort.

"Daddy," Hermione cried, hugging her father. "What are you doing here?"

"You couldn't honestly expect me to miss this, could you?" Voldemort replied, arching an eyebrow at his daughter.

"I guess not," Hermione conceded. "But shouldn't you be with Mum and Lottie? They're both okay, aren't they?"

"They're both perfect," Voldemort replied. "And I'm sure they're both quite happy having an afternoon with Rosmerta. Let's focus on what's going to happen here, shall we?"

"Let's go through to the living room," Lucius suggested.

The group decamped to the living room, and Lucius got one of the elves to bring them all drinks. Once they had refreshments, talk turned to what would happen that evening, and Voldemort began by asking if Draco was ready for what was about to take place.

"Only Draco himself can answer that," Greyback replied. "But in my opinion, I think he can handle it."

"Draco?" Voldemort questioned.

"I'm ready," Draco announced with a nod. "But I need to know there's protection for Hermione, just in case things go wrong."

"We're taking precautions," Lucius reassured his son. "Do you want to know how this evening will work?"

"That sounds good," Draco said, reaching for Hermione's hand.

"Firstly, we're going to erect a safe boundary around the manor," Voldemort began. "Draco and Greyback will still have free roam of the manor grounds, but they won't be able to get too close to the manor. We're going to give Draco and Greyback a couple of hours after their transformation before we go outside. Only once we're sure Draco is calm, will Hermione leave the safe haven around the manor we've created."

"But once she's passed the boundary of the safe haven, I could still hurt her," Draco pointed out. "Even if we stayed really close, she couldn't cross the boundary line before I got to her. before we do this, I need a promise that if the worst looks as though it's going to happen, you'll do whatever it takes to protect Hermione."

"Just what are you asking, Draco?" Voldemort questioned.

"That you put Hermione before me," Draco said. "If I look even the least bit threatening, I want you to hex me. Do whatever you need to, to keep Hermione safe."

"Not that it will be an issue," Hermione interjected. "This is all going to run smoothly."

"Even so, I need the reassurances," Draco said.

"You have my word, Draco," Voldemort said seriously. "I won't let anything happen to Hermione."

"Thank you," Draco said. "And I will do my very best not to hurt her."

"In my opinion, that won't be an issue," Greyback said. "I've been looking into the biting that you told me about, and your mother's right. It's not a form of aggression, it's a form of love. You bite Hermione because she's your mate. I've been a werewolf for decades, and I've never once felt the urge to bite one of my lovers. You two have a connection, and I would bet anything, that instead of being a threat you'll be protective of her in your wolf form."

"Will that be an issue with you also being here?" Lucius questioned with a frown.

"It might be," Greyback admitted with a grimace. "However, the grounds are large so if I'm as far away as I can be when Hermione is outside, it should help."

"So we'll sort a place for Hermione to leave the manor. If you know where Hermione will be, you can ensure you're as far away as possible," Lucius said.

Greyback nodded, and the three wizards got up to make preparations. While Voldemort, Lucius and Greyback headed outside to ensure everything was ready for when the moon rose, Hermione and Draco remained in the living room, preparing for the night ahead.

"You need to promise me something, Hermione," Draco said.

"What?" Hermione asked warily.

"Don't put yourself at risk," Draco replied. "If you think I'm going to be dangerous, you back off. Don't try and calm me down, just get away from me."

"But what if I can calm you?" Hermione questioned.

"Maybe you can in time, but not right away," Draco said. "Don't push this, Hermione. Greyback has made it clear we need to take this in small steps. If we push too hard early on things could go wrong. Just be cautious."

"I'll be careful," Hermione promised. "And I won't push you."

"Thank you," Draco said, pulling Hermione into his arms.

The pair were still hugging when Voldemort, Lucius and Greyback returned and announced that the wards around the manor were in place. Now when Draco and Greyback were in their wolf forms, they wouldn't be able to get too close to the manor.

"What happens now?" Hermione asked, looking at the time and finding it was still a few hours until sunset.

"We wait," Voldemort replied with a shrug as he sat back down. "You can fill me in on school. How are things going?"

"The same as normal," Hermione replied with a shrug. "I'd rather hear about Lottie. I bet she's grown so much in the last couple of weeks."

"She has," Voldemort confirmed with a low chuckle, as he began to talk about his youngest daughter.

While Voldemort and Hermione were catching up, Lucius and Draco talked quietly together while Greyback had a quick nap. The time flew over and all too soon, Greyback and Draco were preparing to go outside and get ready for the full moon.

"Two hours," Greyback warned Voldemort. "I'll be well away from the back garden by then. Don't come out earlier in case I'm too close."

"We'll be on time," Voldemort promised.

"See you soon," Hermione said, giving Draco a kiss.

Hermione watched nervously as Draco left the front room. She was half tempted to follow him through the manor and watch out of one of the back windows, but Draco was adamant he felt more comfortable with her in the front room.

"Come and sit down, Hermione," Voldemort urged his daughter. "We've got two hours to kill before we can go outside."

"This is going to be the longest two hours of my life," Hermione muttered, settling back on the sofa.

"So dramatic," Voldemort said, sharing an amused look with Lucius. "Why don't we pass the time by you telling us about your plans for the future? Have you given any more thought to your plans for overhauling the school system?"

"To be honest, no," Hermione admitted. "I've sort of been busy this year. I did speak to Neville about going into teaching, and I do have a few more ideas for staff. Maybe I can get moving with my plans as I'm dealing with Ginny. Although, it is going to be a long process and it will take years to fully implement."

"All good things take time," Lucius said.

"Speaking of good things, I was hoping you might consider staying on the staff after this year," Hermione said, bestowing Lucius with a dazzling smile. "You're a great Professor, and I'm going to need staff who are on my side as things start changing. I'm also going to make the same plea to Narcissa. Please Lucius, I need you both."

"I can't answer without speaking to Narcissa, but I can promise we'll talk about it," Lucius replied.

"That's all I can ask," Hermione said as she glanced at the time. "It still hasn't been two hours."

"Of course not," Voldemort replied, shaking his head. "Stop watching the clock, Hermione and relax. Just talk to us, and before you know it, it'll be time for you to go and see Draco."

Hermione did her best to follow her father's advice, but time still seemed to drag. Eventually her father announced it was time for them to move, and Hermione followed Voldemort and Lucius towards the back of the manor. Lucius led the way out of one of back doors, and the trio stood just outside of the manor.

"What now?" Hermione asked, scanning the grounds for Draco but seeing no sign of any movement.

"We wait," Voldemort replied. "Greyback assured me that he and Draco would know we were out here. We're to wait for Draco to approach us. He might be a while, as he'll only do that once he's confident he won't hurt you."

Hermione nodded as she silently continued to scan the grounds. Despite Voldemort's warning that it might take a while for Draco to put in an appearance, it was under five minutes when Hermione spotted a stunning grey wolf loping into sight. Even though she'd seen Draco during his first transformation, it was still an awe-inspiring sight to see the majestic wolf and know it was her boyfriend. To be honest she wasn't sure how much of a wolf Draco would still look like, or if his humanity would be making an appearance, but she was pleased to see he was still in his full wolf form. Hopefully it was sign he was adjusting well and wasn't fighting the lycanthropy.

Hermione waited with baited breath as Draco slowly strolled towards them. He stopped a few feet away, and lay down on the grass, cocking his head as he watched Hermione. Hermione was surprised by the connection she felt to the wolf. Even though as a wolf Draco's eyes were black, she still felt as though she was looking at her boyfriend when she looked into them.

"I think he's ready," Lucius said gently.

"Just remember to be calm and don't push him," Voldemort advised. "We have to take this is small steps."

Hermione nodded as she took a couple of deep breaths. Fully aware that both her father and Lucius were watching her every move, ready to protect her if needs be, Hermione made her way towards Draco. She felt a small ripple when she passed the protective boundary, but she pressed on to where Draco was still lying.

"Hey gorgeous," She whispered, kneeling down beside him.

Not really sure how to proceed, she carefully reached out and stroked his fur. For a second she felt Draco tense underneath her hands, but then he relaxed and pressed himself closer to her. Hermione smiled at the subtle gesture, and stroked his soft fur with less hesitance.

"You really are a gorgeous wolf," Hermione told him as she continued to stroke him, and give him the occasional scratch behind his ear. "And see, you don't want to hurt me, do you?"

Draco looked at her with his soulful eyes, and Hermione could have sworn he shook his head. Laughing lightly, she leant down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. In response Draco let out a noise which sounded like a contended hum, and Hermione could feel how relaxed he was. It looked like Greyback was right, and their close bond helped Draco control his animal instincts around her.

"Hermione," Voldemort called quietly, his voice barely reaching Hermione's ears.

However, the sounds had reached Draco's ears and he immediately lifted his head and stared at Voldemort. Hermione held her breath, wondering if Draco was going to turn violent, but he merely continued to watch her father.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Hermione said with a sigh. "You have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

Hermione gave Draco one final stroke, before she got to her feet and headed back over to where her father and Lucius were standing. After confirming that the meeting had gone as well as it looked to have, Hermione waved goodbye to Draco and headed into the manor. From there she flooed back to the school, leaving her boyfriend to enjoy the remainder of his evening in peace.


	28. Chapter 28

When he returned to Hogwarts, Harry found it was harder than he thought being around Ginny. Over the holidays he'd been more than happy to agree to let Hermione handle the redheaded witch, even though he'd known it was going to be a long term plan that would take months to come into fruition. However, back at school he was overwhelmed by how angry he was at Ginny and just how hard it was to ignore her and pretend nothing had happened. All he wanted to do was lash out and let everyone know that she'd played a part in his kidnapping.

Knowing just how much Hermione wanted to be the one to orchestrate revenge on Ginny, Harry had taken to spending as little time as possible in Gryffindor Tower. When he wasn't with Draco and Hermione, or Daphne, he was studying in the library or organising extra quidditch practices. Basically he was doing anything he could to avoid being anywhere near Ginny.

On the night of January's full moon, when Hermione would finally get a chance to see if her plan was going to work, Harry spent the evening down in the Slytherin dungeons with his girlfriend and the other Slytherins. Partly it was to make sure none of them ventured up to the head dorms, but mainly it was just a perfect excuse to stay away from Gryffindor Tower. In fact, when it was time for him to leave he persuaded Daphne to join him, and instead of them going to bed in separate parts of the castle, they used the magical-changing room and spent the night together.

Despite an evening of carnal pleasures with his girlfriend, Harry still didn't get much sleep and it was still pretty early when he woke properly. Not wanting to disturb Daphne, Harry lay quietly in bed wondering how things had gone with Draco and Hermione. Part of him hoped everything had gone as they'd hoped, so that Hermione's plan could be utilised, but another part of him hoped that it failed and that they would have to find another, quicker way to deal with Ginny for the part she'd played in his kidnapping.

"You look thoughtful," Daphne said quietly, suddenly jolting Harry from his thoughts.

Harry looked down in surprise, caught totally unaware that Daphne had woken up. However, she seemed wide awake and she was scrutinising him with a concerned look in her beautiful eyes.

"I was just thinking how lucky I was to have you as my girlfriend," Harry replied, offering Daphne a smile.

"Really?" Daphne raised a sceptical eyebrow at Harry, letting him know she didn't believe him. "You look more as though something's bothering you. What is it, Harry? You know you can tell me anything."

"I know," Harry replied with a sigh, wondering if she could confide in his girlfriend.

"Then tell me," Daphne urged, sitting up and wrapping the bed covers around her naked body. "I won't let this lie until you tell me what's wrong."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very stubborn?" Harry questioned with a wary smile as he also sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"I prefer the term persistent," Daphne countered with an elegant shrug. "So out with it Harry, what's wrong?"

"It's just harder than I thought," Harry confessed.

"What is?" Daphne asked with a frown.

"Being around Ginny," Harry replied. "I thought I would be able to deal with it. I know she's going to get what's coming to her, but I'm finding it hard to wait. I just can't stand that she's still walking around as though nothing has happened."

Daphne nodded sympathetically, understanding Harry's predicament. Even though she didn't know what sort of revenge was being planned for Ginny, she did know that Harry's family had plans for the redheaded witch.

"Can I ask something?" Daphne questioned warily.

"Anything," Harry replied.

"Why did your family never bring charges against Ginny after your kidnapping?" Daphne asked. "We all know she was the one who lured you to her brothers."

"To do that we would have had to take Bill and Charlie to trial, and Dad and Grandpa didn't want to put me through that," Harry replied. "Bill and Charlie were caught red-handed, so they couldn't get out of it, but they were insistent that they acted together, just the two of them. To force them to take veritiserum and implicate Ginny, they would have had to stand trial."

"What about you, would you not rather have gone down that route?" Daphne asked.

"At the time I would have said no," Harry answered. "In fact, I fully supported not pressing for a trial. I was more than happy to let Hermione take care of Ginny."

"But now it's taking longer than you thought and it's harder than you expected to sit back and do nothing," Daphne summarised.

"Something like that," Harry said.

"Can't you speak to Hermione and get her to move her plans forward?" Daphne questioned.

"Not really, her plan is a long term one," Harry confessed. "I guess I'll just have to carry on avoiding Gryffindor Tower."

"You'll just have to spend more time with me," Daphne said with a seductive smile as she let the covers slip away from her body. "I'm sure we can think of plenty of ways to occupy our time."

"I'm sure we can," Harry readily agreed as he reached for Daphne and pulled his girlfriend into his arms, connecting their lips in a searing kiss.

As Harry lost himself in his girlfriend's embrace, he vowed not to let Ginny get to him. She would be dealt with soon enough, and in the meantime he could focus his attention on Daphne. After all, it was hardly going to be a hardship to spend more time with his gorgeous girlfriend while Hermione worked on bringing Ginny down.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Draco, get up," Hermione yelled, roughly shaking her boyfriend.

Hermione had been up for an hour, and she'd tried several times to raise her fiancé. Draco had already missed breakfast, and Hermione had resorted to eating in the head dorms as she tried to get Draco out of bed. It had been an exhausting weekend for the pair, following Saturday's full moon and Hermione could understand why her boyfriend was tired. After spending all of Saturday night running around in his wolf form, he'd then spent most of Sunday in bed with Hermione. Still, it was now Monday morning and if Draco didn't get up soon he was going to be late for the first lesson of the week.

"Draco," Hermione hollered, yanking the covers off her fiancé and glaring at him.

"I'm up," Draco grumbled, burying his head under his pillow.

"You've got fifteen minutes before the start of Potions," Hermione warned.

"Plenty of time," Draco replied, still making no move to get out of bed, despite the fact he was lying naked with no covers.

"With how long it takes you to get ready, I don't think so," Hermione laughed. "And if you're late, I'm not covering for you. I'll tell Narcissa that you're still in bed, refusing to move your lazy arse."

Finally throwing the pillow off his head, Draco sat up and glared at Hermione. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Hermione challenged. "And if she asks, I'll tell her why you won't get up. I don't mind telling the entire class that I've worn you out and you don't have enough stamina to keep up with my sexual appetite."

"I have the stamina," Draco argued as he rolled out of bed and stretched his aching body. "If I remember correctly, it was you needing a rest last night."

"Yet I'm still wide awake and raring to go," Hermione shot back as she wandered over to the mirror and double checked there was no evidence of bite marks on her neck. Thanks to the potion Narcissa had whipped up for her, Draco was able to bite her without restraint, and he certainly had the previous day.

Muttering to himself, Draco wandered into the bathroom. He got ready in record time, and the pair left the head dorms in just enough time to get down to the dungeons before the first lesson of the day started. In fact they only just made it into the classroom before the bell rang. Their almost late entrance caught everyone's attention, including Narcissa, who gave the pair a questioning look before she started her class.

"Exams are fast approaching, and as you all know these N.E.W.T.S are not easy," Narcissa began. "You're all going to have to buckle down and work hard if you want to pass your exams. This morning we're going to brew a very complex potion, and you're going to have to concentrate to get it right."

Narcissa flicked her wand and the instructions and ingredients for the potion appeared on the blackboard in her neat writing. After reminding the class to read every instruction thoroughly before they charged in and made a mistake, she let them start their preparations. As she watched the class jump up to get their ingredients, she noticed her son was half asleep and didn't look at all focused.

Narcissa knew that things had gone swimmingly when Draco had been introduced to Hermione in his wolf form, and she was guessing that her son and Hermione had spent the rest of the weekend acting on Draco's animalistic urges. Narcissa didn't want to dwell on Draco's sex life, but she was now worrying that it was starting to interfere with his school work. After all, her son was wandering around like a zombie and she wasn't sure he entirely knew what he was doing with the potion.

Narcissa didn't want to make it too obvious she was worried about Draco, so she began to walk around the class, checking on the students. Slowly she made her way to where her son was working on his potion and peered over his shoulder.

"Do you know what you're doing, Draco?" She checked.

"Yes Mother, I'm fine" Draco replied sleepily.

The words had no sooner left Draco's mouth when laughter broke out throughout the classroom. Despite everyone knowing both of Draco's parents were Professors, he never acknowledged them as such during lessons, just like Harry never referred to Severus as Dad.

"That's Professor Malfoy, Draco," Narcissa corrected, a smirk creeping over her face.

"Bugger," Draco swore, annoyed with himself that he'd slipped up.

"Language," Narcissa cautioned.

"Yes, behave Draco or Mummy will get cross," Blaise joked, causing more laughter in the classroom.

"Yes she will Blaise," Narcissa said, turning her icy glare on Blaise. "Do you want to get in trouble?"

"With you, anytime," Blaise replied with a flirtatious wink.

Narcissa gave Blaise an amused look, before she raised her eyes to behind him and smiled. "Hello Professor Malfoy."

Blaise's eyes widened comically as he whirled around. Luckily there was no sign of Narcissa's husband, but the rest of the class broke into even more laughter at Blaise's panic.

"Be careful Blaise, you never know when my husband could be lurking behind you," Narcissa said with a smirk. "In future save your flirtations for your lovely girlfriend."

"I will," Blaise vowed, turning back to his potion.

Hoping that her son wasn't too tired after his weekend's exertions, Narcissa returned to her desk for the rest of the lesson. Thankfully Draco managed to get through the lesson, and although his potion wasn't the best, it was passable and Narcissa could give him a decent grade. As the class filed out, Narcissa headed off to speak to Lucius over break. She wanted her husband's advice on whether they should step in and make sure their son didn't mess up his education thanks to his sex life.

While Narcissa was consulting Lucius about Draco, their son was spending his break time with his friends. Of course everyone had noticed how tired he was, and Blaise and Theo were having a great time teasing him about his wild weekend. Harry meanwhile, took the opportunity to pull Hermione to one side and check that the weekend had gone well.

"It did," Hermione replied with a smile. "Saturday night was perfect."

"So everything's on track?" Harry checked, wondering if he should tell his aunt how hard he was finding it waiting for Ginny to be dealt with.

"It is," Hermione confirmed. "I know it can't be easy for you, Harry, but I promise you'll get your vengeance. Just have patience, and Ginny will get what's coming to her."

"How did you know I was finding it hard?" Harry asked.

"I've known you forever, and I know how you think," Hermione replied with a smile. "Besides, in your shoes I would hate it if she was still walking around free and untroubled."

"I'm not sure I would describe her as untroubled," Harry chuckled. "She got one dead brother, and two more in Azkaban."

"And very soon they're going to be the least of her worries," Hermione predicted with a wicked smirk. "Very soon, she's going to have her own issues to deal with."

"I can't wait," Harry said, sharing his aunt's devious smile. "Bring on the revenge."


	29. Chapter 29

Patience was very much the key to Hermione's plan of vengeance against Ginny, and as eager as she was to pay the redheaded witch back for what had happened with Harry, Hermione exercised perfect patience as she waited for the perfect time to strike. Considering her plan couldn't be put into full effect until they were sure Draco wouldn't hurt her in his wolf form, Hermione knew nothing would be happening before Easter. However, she wasn't exactly idle, and as well as accompanying Draco to the manor every full moon and spending more time with him as a werewolf, she was also focusing on school, her plans for the future and sowing the seeds for Ginny to walk into her trap.

Every couple of weeks, Hermione used the polyjuice potion and engineered a brief encounter between Ginny and 'Pansy'. She was very careful not to establish a friendship in case Ginny tried to approach the real Pansy and realised something was going on. However, she'd ensured enough interaction so that Ginny would hopefully trust 'Pansy', when she asked for her help in bringing Hermione down. Of course, the best laid plans could still go wrong, but Hermione continued to lay down the groundwork of her revenge plan with optimism.

Revenge was not the only thing on Hermione's mind, and she found herself having to buckle down to make sure she wasn't too distracted from her school work. Despite her future being mapped out, Hermione still wanted to get the best exam results she could. She'd been top of the class for six years, and there was no way she was going to fall below her own very high standards in her final year. She was going to end Hogwarts just like she started it - on top.

As well as school work and her revenge on Ginny, Hermione started to focus on the future, and what she was planning on doing after leaving Hogwarts. True to her word, she'd spoken to Severus and arranged for Neville to begin an apprenticeship under Professor Sprout. She then approached both Padma and Theo about joining the staff, in whatever subject they liked. Her friends had both been overwhelmed by the idea, and they'd agreed to think about it over Easter and let Hermione know their decision before the end of the year.

With a new wave of staffing in the pipeline, Hermione had then turned her attention to the current crop of staff. In a notebook she'd listed every single member of staff and made notes on each of them. The idea was to decide if they were going to be offered a place in the new look Hogwarts, or if their teaching career was coming to an end. The only two Professors Hermione didn't have any personal experience with was Professor Trelawney, and the muggle studies professor. However, she'd already made decisions about both professors before she'd even drawn up her notebook. Both of them were reaching the end of their lives at Hogwarts.

In Hermione's new regime, there was no place for muggle studies. Her father was in the process of pulling the wizarding world away from the muggle world, so there was no reason to teach the future generations about muggles. It wasn't as if they were going to be learning skills they needed for future life, as most of them would never meet a muggle, let alone need to survive in the muggle world.

Despite Hermione's personal distaste for Divination, she had no intention of getting rid of the subject. However, Professor Trelawney had earned her ticket out of Hogwarts via her treatment of Harry. Hermione could still remember how the Divination Professor used to taunt Harry about how he was going to die a bloody death at a young age. Her nephew may have laughed off her predictions, but Hermione had found them cruel and unnecessary. So Trelawney was going, she would find new Divination Professors who didn't delight in trying to scare the students.

Hermione had also made preliminary decisions about almost all of the other Professors, but she still carried her notebook with her in case she came across another point she wanted to add to her notes. In fact the afternoon of the last full moon of the term, Hermione was in the library, adding a few more notes to her notebook, when she was disturbed by two second years arguing over a book. Annoyed at the interruption, Hermione slammed her quill down on the desk and stalked over to the quarrelling pair.

As she was dealing with the disturbance, Madam Pince appeared with a disgruntled looking Professor McGonagall. Despite the fact that Hermione had everything under control and was on the verge of getting the two girls to apologise to each other, McGonagall dismissed her with a casual flick of her hand.

"We can handle this, Miss Granger," McGonagall instructed.

"Controlling old hag," Hermione muttered under her breath as she stalked back to where she'd been sitting.

Since it was nearly time for her to be heading back to the head dorms to get ready to accompany Draco to the manor, Hermione packed up her belongings. However, Hermione was so distracted by her annoyance of McGonagall dismissing her as though she was useless that she failed to notice when her notebook containing her notes on the staff tumbled out of her bag when she picked it up. Giving McGonagall's back one final stare, Hermione turned and stalked off to the head dorms, unknowingly leaving her notebook behind for someone to find.

When Hermione reached the head dorms, she found Draco already preparing for the night ahead. As he always was on the day of the full moon, Draco was bursting with energy and he couldn't sit still for more than ten minutes. After spending so much time with him in his wolf form, Hermione could see the inner wolf in her fiancé, just waiting until it could burst forth and have its fun.

"Tonight's the big night, isn't it?" Hermione checked, throwing her bag onto the sofa.

"It is," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "Are you ready for it?"

"Of course," Hermione replied.

Tonight was the first time Hermione was going to be in Draco's presence while he hunted. Before they could even think of acting on her plan, they needed to be sure that Draco still had control when his bloodlust was high. Although, so far his control had been perfect and he hadn't so much as growled at Hermione. In fact, just the previous full moon Greyback had wandered nearer to where Hermione had been with Draco, and Draco had been very protective of her. He hadn't hurt Greyback, but he'd certainly marked his territory, just like Greyback had predicted he would do.

"It won't be pretty," Draco cautioned his fiancée. "I was so horrified by the hunting when I first turned that I used to block it out."

"I know, but it was different for you," Hermione said. "You were the one doing the hunting. I'll just be around. It's not like I'll likely even see anything. I can't exactly keep up with you in your wolf form."

"I know, but you'll be closer to me then anyone's been before while I'm hunting," Draco pointed out. "I don't want to lose myself in the hunt and end up hurting you."

"You won't hurt me," Hermione replied confidently, walking over to Draco and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Greyback has said more than once that you've got amazing control when it comes to me. Your love for me will outweigh your bloodlust."

"We hope," Draco whispered.

"I know," Hermione reassured him, giving him a quick pack. "Besides, we'll not be alone. Father and Lucius will be there. They'll not let anything happen to me."

"I know," Draco said with a nod, pulling Hermione even closer to him. "This is just a big step."

"No, it's just the next step," Hermione corrected. "Being a wolf is part of who you are, just like loving me is part of who you are. The two can co-exist, and I know whether you're a wolf or a man that you'll always protect me and put me first. It's one of the reasons why I love you."

"And what are the other reasons?" Draco asked with a slight smirk.

"You know, I can't quite remember right now," Hermione said with a chuckle. "Maybe you could jog my memory."

"Do we have time?" Draco asked. "Father will be here to escort us to the manor in just over an hour."

"Then we best make it quick then," Hermione replied, pulling Draco over to the sofa.

Quick didn't mean any less pleasure for the couple, and they made full use of the hour before they went to the manor. By the time Lucius arrived, the couple were re-dressed and waiting patiently for him, but they were both wearing mile wide smiles. Lucius didn't need to ask what they'd been up to before he arrived, as he had a very good idea, so he merely opened the floo connection and escorted them to the manor.

Voldemort and Greyback arrived shortly after the trio, and by now they had a routine in place. Draco and Greyback were outside as the moon rose, and Hermione gave them just enough time for them to adjust before leaving the manor. Voldemort and Lucius accompanied Hermione out into the gardens, and like always they remained vigilant beside the door, while Hermione got up close and personal with Draco the wolf.

By now, Hermione was entirely comfortable in Draco's presence, and she merely give him a stroke as she wandered past him and settled herself on a garden bench. For a couple of hours, Draco padded around the garden next to Hermione, before he caught the scent of an animal. Normally if Hermione was with him, he would ignore his hunting instincts, but this time he didn't give her a second thought as he took off into some nearby bushes in search of whatever had caught his attention.

Hermione tensed slightly on the bench, and her fingers automatically closed around the wood of her wand in her pocket. However, she didn't remove the wand and she didn't draw it when Draco raced back out of the bushes, hot on the heels of a rabbit. Hermione watched as Draco chased the rabbit down the length of the garden and towards the far end of the manor grounds. By the time her fiancé caught the rabbit, Hermione couldn't see him, but when he returned to her, he grey fur was matted with blood around his mouth.

"Messy thing," Hermione laughed, reaching over and gently wiping a smear of blood off Draco's pale fur. "I guess this means we're ready," She continued as she stroked his head. "After Easter it's time for you to meet the acquaintance of a little Weasel. You can hunt her, instead of a rabbit next time."

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

While Hermione was with Draco, Professor McGonagall was sitting in her office, reading every word Hermione had written in her notebook on the staff of Hogwarts. McGonagall had spotted the notebook in the library after dealing with the second years, and Madam Pince had confirmed it as a book she'd seen Hermione scribbling in several times over the last few weeks. Instead of leaving the book in the library, so that Madam Pince could give it back to Hermione next time she saw her, McGonagall had taken it, insisting that she would return it to the Head Girl herself.

To be fair, McGonagall had gone to the head dorms to return the book, but she'd received no answer when she'd knocked on the door. Despite being head of Gryffindor and Deputy Headmistress she hadn't known the password and the portrait guarding the head dorms refused to let her past. Frustrated by yet another snub, McGonagall had returned to her study where she'd been unable to resist sneaking a peek at what Hermione had been writing.

McGonagall had been totally stunned when she'd found detailed notes on every member of staff. Their strengths and weaknesses were listed, as well as Hermione's personal opinions of whether or not they were up to the job of teaching. Finally, every member of staff had either been marked down to continue teaching, or be sacked.

Unsurprisingly there were glowing reports for Lucius and Narcissa, and Hermione's final notation on both of them was to keep them on staff. Poor Professor Trelawney had no notes on her teaching abilities at all. All that was on her page was a note that she was to be sacked as soon as possible. A lot of the other staff also received plenty of positive feedback and almost all of them received Hermione's seal of approval to keep teaching.

It was with trepidation that McGonagall found her own name and read what Hermione had to say about her. She was rather surprised to find the first half of the page filled with complimentary things. Hermione noted that she was a good Professor with an excellent grasp of the subject she taught. Hermione also admitted that her teaching style made things easy to pick up, especially in earlier years when students were just beginning their education.

However, just as McGonagall was relaxing and thinking that maybe Hermione still liked her after all, came a slew of negative comments. Among the comments, Hermione noted that McGonagall was vindictive towards students she didn't like, in particular Slytherins, and had a terrible attitude towards them. She also noted that she no longer offered her unwavering support to the headmaster and tried to undermine him on several occasions. Hermione finished her notes by saying that while McGonagall was a competent professor, she was also a troublemaker and couldn't be trusted. Finally came the dreaded words at the bottom of the page - to be replaced.

McGonagall slammed the book shut as she read Hermione's final judgment on her. Although, why Hermione was making judgements about the staff was beyond McGonagall. It was Severus who was the headmaster, and she very much doubted that he needed his little sister's opinion on which professors he should keep and which he should get rid of. The notebook was proof that something else was afoot and McGonagall wanted to know what.

She'd been at Hogwarts for decades, and she wasn't going to let some jumped up teenager kick her out. She wasn't going to be pushed aside like old rubbish. If it was a fight Hermione wanted than McGonagall was more than happy than give it to her. She may have been older, but she wasn't incapable. She would show Hermione Granger that she wasn't a witch to be taken lightly. Hermione may have been the daughter of The Dark Lord, but that didn't frighten McGonagall. She knew from Dumbledore that you needed to stand up to darkness, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to stand up to the darkness, and with any luck she might even be able to cause some damage of her own.


	30. Chapter 30

Hermione and Harry strolled around Hogsmeade, enjoying some quality time together, just the two of them. As usual they'd headed down to the village with all of their friends, but they'd left the others in The Three Broomsticks while they did a bit of shopping. The Easter holidays started in two days' time, and Hermione wanted to take a gift back home for her sister. Hermione was dying to see Charlotte again, and see just how much she'd grown.

Harry was also looking for something in the baby range, although he was looking for something he could give his new brother or sister upon their birth. Rosmerta was due to give birth a few weeks after they returned to school after Easter, but Harry had already elicited a promise from Severus that whenever Rosmerta went into labour he would be allowed to go to the hospital. It wasn't every day you got a new sibling, and Harry wanted to be there as their family expanded.

"How do you think Blaise is getting along?" Harry asked as the pair strolled towards a store that contained a selection of baby items.

As he'd promised, Harry had spoken to Rosmerta about Blaise's interest in the pub and he'd arranged a meeting between his stepmother and friend. Blaise was hoping to convince Rosmerta to give him a job when he left school, but Harry knew that if the Slytherin played his cards right, he could end up with far more than just a job. Rosmerta still had her manager in place, but the nearer she came to giving birth, the more she seemed to be leaning towards selling up. To be honest the only reason the pub wasn't already on the market was because Severus had convinced Rosmerta not to rush into anything while she was hormonal. He'd persuaded her to wait until after she'd given birth and things had settled down before she made a firm decision on the business.

"Knowing Blaise, it will go one of two ways," Hermione replied. "Either he'll charm his way into Rosmerta's affections and she'll give him a chance, or he'll get so carried away with his ideas for the place that he'll end up implying she'd not doing a good enough job and insult her."

"I wouldn't like to get on her bad side at the moment," Harry said with a grimace. "This pregnancy has made her lethal. Last Sunday when I went home for lunch she'd had a meltdown in the kitchen and the dinner was a bit burnt in places. Dad made a joke about the roast potatoes being extra crispy and she nearly flattened him."

"He made a joke about a pregnant woman's cooking failures?" Hermione laughed, shaking her head at her brother's stupidity. "That was not a good move."

"I think he regretted it when Rosmerta threw a rock hard sprout at his head," Harry said, chuckling at the memory. "So if Blaise does say the wrong thing, I wouldn't want to be in his place."

"He'll just have to use that charm of his," Hermione answered. "It seems to work on Luna. Even when she gets annoyed with him about his flirting, he always seems to be able to charm her."

"I think she knows it's harmless," Harry said. "I don't think Blaise can help but flirt with pretty girls. It's all talk though, he's clearly crazy about Luna."

"He does seem to be," Hermione agreed with a thoughtful nod. "And I do think the fact Luna has another year at school is part of the reason he wants a job here in Hogsmeade."

"But what happens after next year?" Harry questioned as they wandered into the shop they'd been heading to. "Will he be as keen to be up here when Luna is off doing whatever it is Luna's going to do with her life?"

"If I get my way, Luna's life after school will still be up here," Hermione confided in a quiet voice, checking that no-one could hear what she was saying. The Ministry hadn't announced any changes to the school system yet, and Hermione didn't want word to leak about before an official announcement was made.

"You want her as part of your plans?" Harry asked in surprise. He knew his aunt had already recruited Neville, and had sent out feelers with Theo and Padma, but he'd known nothing about her desire to get Luna on the staff at Hogwarts.

"I do," Hermione replied. "She's got a natural way with magical creatures, don't you think? I think that enthusiasm could be just what we need."

"I'm sure if anyone can persuade her to pursue a career in teaching, you can," Harry said fondly. "You usually get what you want."

"You make me sound like a spoilt princess," Hermione pouted as she picked up a gorgeous stuffed unicorn with a colour changing horn, which changed colours to match what whoever was holding it was wearing. In Hermione's hands, the horn had changed to the same shade of pale green she was wearing.

"If the tiara fits," Harry teased.

"Git," Hermione returned, throwing the unicorn at her nephew.

Harry caught the unicorn with a laugh, causing its horn to change to dark blue to match his jumper. "Hey this is cool."

"I saw if first, and I'm going to buy one for Lottie," Hermione said, plucking the unicorn from her nephew's hands.

"I need help Hermione," Harry said as he browsed through the collection of toys and clothes for young children. "What do I get for the baby?"

"What about this?" Hermione asked with a laugh as she picked up a Babygro and showed it to Harry. The Babygro was a neutral cream colour but in emerald green writing were the words 'I have the cutest big brother'.

"I like that," Harry laughed, taking the Babygro off his aunt. "I'll have one. And maybe a cuddly toy to go with it."

While Harry found a suitable toy for the new baby, Hermione picked out a soft pale pink cardigan for Charlotte to go with the unicorn. Thankfully the cardigan had an enchantment woven into it so it adjusted to fit whichever child wore it, so Hermione didn't have to worry about having the right size for her baby sister.

With their purchases sorted and in bags, the pair left the shop and headed back towards The Three Broomsticks. On their way they passed Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, and spotted the twins fixing a display in the large front window. Neither of the twins spotted them, and they headed past before they got a chance to cause trouble. So far Fred and George had remained out of things, and since Hermione and Harry liked them they hoped it stayed that way, so they were limiting the opportunity the twins had to cause any problems.

"Do you think they'll continue their stance?" Harry asked.

"You mean after Easter?" Hermione checked. She didn't need to ask who her nephew was talking about, as she knew full well he meant the twins they'd just passed.

"Yeah, before long they're going to be down to just them and Percy," Harry said, coming to a halt not far from the pub and sitting down on a nearby bench.

"She'll still be around," Hermione said, casting a privacy spell around the bench before joining her nephew, satisfied that no-one could now hear their conversation. "I don't think we're going to kill Ginny."

"You don't think? You mean you don't know?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It's really all down to Draco," Hermione answered with a shrug. "My plan is to maim her, and in all likelihood turn her into a werewolf. She'll not have the advantages Draco has, and she'll be shunned. More importantly, she'll hate herself just like Lupin did. However, Draco's never done this before so there's a chance he might go overboard and accidently kill her."

"I though Greyback said he's got perfect control," Harry remarked.

"According to Greyback he has," Hermione replied. "He's always saying that Draco is the most natural wolf he's ever met. But this is his first time. Even with his immense control there's a chance he'll be overwhelmed and can't stop himself from finishing the job. Would that be a bad thing, though?"

"I guess not," Harry admitted. "At least then she'll be dealt with. I guess I was just looking forward to the idea that she had a lifetime of suffering ahead of her. I often wonder if we should have done that with Ron. Maybe we should have just let him go to Azkaban for the rest of his life."

"The idea of long term suffering was appealing, but in the end I don't think Ron left Father with much choice," Hermione said. "I'm sure he would have hated Azkaban, but there would have been a part of him gloating about how he'd cursed the daughter and grandson of The Dark Lord and got away with it. This way in the end he knew we'd won."

"I guess you're right," Harry said with a small smile. "It was certainly satisfying at the time, and I guess it's good to know that's he's no longer a threat."

"And in a few weeks, the remainder of the Weasley threat will be gone," Hermione said confidently. "Once Ginny is either dead or a werewolf, she won't be a problem. Molly's already out of the picture, and having her precious Ginny tainted for life will end any threat she might have mustered. Arthur doesn't have the spine to fight us, Percy is already distancing himself from his family. As for the twins, they're keeping their heads down in order to keep their shop."

"But what if all this changes things?" Harry asked. "What if we're pushing them too far? What if Ginny's attack is the spark they need to wage a war?"

"And who's going to fight in this war?" Hermione asked with a bitter laugh. "Come on Harry, we've pretty much wiped out the Order. Surely by now the Weasleys can see that the only ones going to be hurt is them. They've lost one son to death, two more to Azkaban, and their only daughter is going to end up as a werewolf. How must more are they prepared to lose?"

"I just don't think we should underestimate them," Harry cautioned.

"We won't," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes at Harry's caution.

Her nephew had always been more cautious than her, but Hermione had always been grateful that she'd had him to reign her in at times. After all, without Harry, she knew she never would have been able to keep up the pretence that she'd kept up for five years. It had been Harry that had kept their plan together when she was struggling with dealing with Ron. She understood why Harry was being cautious, and she planned on not making the fatal error of underestimating your opponent. Until Ginny and the Weasleys had been completely broken, Hermione wouldn't rest and she wouldn't stop thinking of them as a threat.

Returning to the pub, Harry and Hermione re-joined their friends. Five minutes after they'd re-taken their seats, Blaise came out of the back room with Rosmerta and the pair shook hands. Rosmerta then gave Harry a quick wave, before disappearing back into the front room while a beaming Blaise walked over to the group.

"How did it go?" Luna asked as her boyfriend slid into the booth next to her.

"It wasn't easy, but I charmed her," Blaise replied with a grin. "You are now looking at The Three Broomsticks newest barman."

"Congratulations," Harry said with a grin.

"I knew you'd do it," Luna said, throwing her arms around Blaise's neck and giving him a searing kiss. "I'm so proud of you."

"You haven't heard the best bit yet," Blaise said, unable to stop himself from smiling. "Rosmerta has promised to take me under her wing and show me how to run the bar once I've settled in. She thinks that if I take to it as well as she's expecting, I could be running the place by this time next year."

"That is some achievement," Theo remarked with a low whistle. "Going from inexperienced teenager to bar manager in a year."

"What can I say, some of us can rise to the challenge rapidly," Blaise replied, giving Luna a saucy wink.

"Idiot," Luna muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly red as she lowered her gaze.

"So when do you start?" Hermione asked, wanting to take the attention away from Luna. Judging from her reaction, it would seem that she and Blaise were developing the physical side of their relationship, but she didn't want the younger girl to be embarrassed if people started to tease her and Blaise.

"I've got a trial shift over the Easter holidays," Blaise answered. "Basically, unless I fail spectacularly and set fire to the place of something, it's merely a formality. Rosmerta just wants to be sure I can handle it, and that it's what I really want to do."

"Is it?" Harry asked. He liked Blaise, but he wasn't going to stand for him messing Rosmerta around.

"It is," Blaise replied, giving Harry a sincere nod. He could sense the protective tone in Harry's voice, and knew the Gryffindor was merely looking out for his stepmother. "I know it was kind of a throw-away remark when I first mentioned it, but I've thought about the future a lot lately. I really want to do this, Harry. I want a chain of my own places, and I think The Three Broomsticks is the perfect place to learn. After all, it's good to learn from the best, and Rosmerta is the best."

"Yes, she is," Harry agreed with a smile.

Satisfied that Blaise wasn't going to cause trouble for Rosmerta, Harry changed the subject to the final matches of the quidditch season, which would be held shortly after the end of exams at the end of the year. As it usually did, the final match would determine the winner of the cup, and as it had been for several years, it was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The question was who would win the quidditch cup in their final year – Harry or Draco?


	31. Chapter 31

When Easter arrived, Hermione was thrilled to be returning home. She'd always enjoyed going home for the holidays, but it was even more special now she had a baby sister waiting for her. Even though she'd been happy when her parents had informed her that they were pregnant, she was still overwhelmed by how much she adored her baby sister. Although since she was approaching the end of her school days, Hermione knew she would soon be moving out of home, so she was wanting to make the most of the time she did have with her little sister.

Hermione was disappointed when Beth wasn't at the station to meet them, but her disappointment soon faded when she spotted her father. Most people were giving Voldemort a wide berth, and she could see the questioning glances he was receiving. Her father tended to keep a low profile and even though the wizarding world all knew he was back and was essentially running the government, it was still surprising for them to see him in public. Judging by the looks he was receiving, Hermione wondered if her father should appear in public more often. It might help people accept him properly if they saw him regularly and saw with their own eyes that he wasn't a monster.

"Hey Grandpa," Harry called, leading the way to Voldemort.

"Harry," Voldemort replied with a fond smile.

"Hello, Daddy," Hermione said, giving her father a hug.

"Hello, princess," Voldemort said, returning the hug. "Draco, you're coming with us," He said, addressing his daughter's fiancé. "Your parents are both still up at school, so there's no-one to take you home."

"I can go on my own," Draco pointed out. "I am an adult, and I've passed my apparition test."

"Well your parents are coming for dinner and they'll expect you to be there," Voldemort said. "I suggest you just come along like a good boy."

"Of course, My Lord," Draco answered with a respectful dip of his head.

"Suck-up," Hermione hissed to her fiancé, sticking her tongue out at him.

Voldemort chuckled at the pair as he checked everyone had everything. Once he was sure everyone had their bags, Voldemort led the way home. Hermione dropped her bags in the hallway the second they arrived home, and rushed off to find her mother and sister.

"Don't worry about the mess, we'll tidy up after you," Voldemort called after his daughter.

"Thanks," Hermione called back, missing the sarcastic tone in her father's voice.

"Kids," Voldemort muttered, picking Hermione's discarded bag up off the floor and sending it to her room.

Harry and Draco carefully placed their bags in the hallway for when they were ready to go home, before following Voldemort towards the front room. When they entered the front room, they found Hermione was already making a fuss of Charlotte. Charlotte was shooting up, and both Harry and Draco were shocked by how much she'd grown since they'd seen her last.

"Wow, she's getting big," Harry said, smiling at his littlest aunt.

"She is," Beth agreed with a smile as Voldemort joined her on the sofa. "I'd forgotten how quickly they grow when they're young. One minute you're giving birth to them, and the next they're getting ready to fly the nest."

"I don't think Lottie will be moving out any time soon," Hermione remarked with a laugh as she swung her little sister around, causing her to giggle.

"I was talking about you," Beth clarified. "Having Lottie reminds me how quickly you've grown. It doesn't seem like five minutes since you were the baby."

"I thought the sleepless nights would have reminded you that it was a fair few years since you had a baby in the house," Hermione replied. "I read somewhere that people who have children so many years apart sometimes struggle getting used to having a baby in the house again. I mean just when you were looking forward to it just being the two of you, now you've got a baby and its years before you'll be alone again."

"What a lovely portrait of parenthood you're painting, Hermione," Voldemort said with a chuckle. "You make Lottie sound like a burden."

"How could she ever be a burden, she's gorgeous," Hermione cooed, smiling warmly at her sister. "I was just pointing out that it must be weird having a baby in the house after all these years."

"It is, but it also feels so right," Beth replied, holding out her arms for her youngest daughter. "We might be older, but we wouldn't change Lottie for the world. You'll see when you have your own. It doesn't matter when it happens, each child is a blessing."

"That they are," Voldemort agreed. "And I've been lucky enough to have three. Not to mention my grandson and impending grandchild."

"Where is Rosmerta?" Harry asked. "I thought she would have been here."

"She'll be here for dinner," Beth replied. "I spoke to her earlier and she was fairly tired, so she's probably resting."

"Is she okay?" Harry asked in concern, wondering if he should go home before dinner to check on his stepmother.

"She's fine," Beth reassured her grandson. "It's only natural that she's tired. She's heavily pregnant, and carrying a child around for nine months isn't the easiest job in the world."

"But there's nothing to worry about?" Harry checked.

"Not a thing," Beth answered. "You'll see for yourself in a few hours when she arrives for dinner. And speaking of dinner, I need to go and make sure the elves have everything in order."

Beth handed Charlotte over to her husband as she got up to check on dinner. Hermione instantly sat down next to her father to chat to her little sister, while Draco wandered over to the window and stood staring out of the window. Harry watched Draco for a couple of minutes, before getting up and joining his best friend.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"I'm fine," Draco replied with a tight smile.

"Liar," Harry stated. "Tell me what's wrong or I'll speak up and grab Hermione's attention."

"Don't," Draco hissed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure his fiancée was still focused on her sister.

"So what is it?" Harry pressed. "One minute you were fine, and now you're sulking."

"I'm not sulking, merely thinking," Draco muttered. "It was when Beth mentioned Hermione having children of her own. It got me thinking about something."

"Don't tell me you think she's pregnant," Harry said with a wince. "Grandpa will kill you."

"She's not pregnant," Draco replied. "I've never realised it before, but children are going to be an issue for us."

"Why?" Harry frowned.

"In case it slipped your mind, I'm a werewolf now," Draco said with a sigh. "That means any child of mine might also carry the wolf gene. Hermione and I can't just have children like anyone else. We need to think through the potential consequences."

"I guess things are going to be trickier for the two of you," Harry conceded. "But you have to talk about it, Draco. You can't just bury your head in the sand."

"Even if it means losing her?" Draco whispered. They'd only just gotten over one problem, so the last thing he wanted to do was raise another issue that could potentially break them.

"I think she's proved more than once that you're not going to lose her," Harry said. "Hermione loves you Draco, and nothing will change that. You need to talk about this together. I guarantee if you talk about it, you can find a solution."

"Do you really think so?" Draco asked hopefully.

Harry nodded firmly in response. "I do. I think you and Hermione are made for each other, and I think that together you can overcome any problem. Besides, this isn't even a problem you need to deal with right now. If I were you, I'd focus on Hermione's plan for revenge and getting through to the end of the year. Once we leave school, then you can think about the future and discuss this with Hermione."

Draco nodded in response, although he made a mental note to at least broach the subject of children with Hermione before they left school. Harry was right in the respect that the subject didn't need dealing with until they left school and were ready to embark on their future together, but Draco knew the issue needed raising as soon as possible. If it was going to cause problems between them then it was better if they faced it head on, rather than put it off and refuse to deal with a problem that could prove insurmountable in their relationship.

"What are you two whispering about?" Hermione called over to the pair.

"We're comparing notes on our quidditch tactics," Harry replied, turning around and grinning at his aunt. "Or rather, I'm informing Draco how we're going to crush them again this year."

"Don't be so sure, Harry," Draco retorted, pushing aside his newfound anxieties. "Last year I got distracted, but not this year. We've been practising, and we're ready to take you Gryffindors down."

"Is it true?" Harry asked Hermione.

"They have been having extra practices," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "I've been rather neglected just recently," She added with a pout.

"I have not neglected you," Draco protested as he made his way over to his fiancée and sat down next to her.

Harry smiled as he watched Draco and Hermione bickering between themselves. Hopefully the issue of children wouldn't come between them and they could solve any potential problems that might arise due to Draco's new wolf genes. Although, Harry would bet anything on the couple staying together and ending up perfectly happy. He would even bet on them finding some way to have children, especially if it was something Hermione really wanted. His aunt tended to get what she wanted, and Harry couldn't see this being any different.

While Hermione and Draco bickered on, Harry sat down and chatted to his grandfather. While he was filling Voldemort in on how hard he was finding it waiting for Ginny to be dealt with, everyone else began to arrive. Rosmerta was the first to arrive, and like Beth had said, she was absolutely fine, just extremely pregnant and very tired. Lucius and Narcissa arrived shortly after Rosmerta and they were virtually followed through the floo network by Severus.

With everyone arrived, Charlotte was the centre of attention, and everyone wanted to interact with the little girl. By the time dinner was ready, Charlotte was ready for sleep and Beth easily settled her down in her nursery with one of the elves keeping an eye on her. She then returned to the others where they had a nice dinner and discussed recent events. Hermione filled everyone in on her plans for revenge on Ginny, Lucius and Narcissa talked about Hogwarts and their teaching experiences, while Beth chatted about Charlotte and Rosmerta talked about her pregnancy.

Harry was pleased to see that Draco seemed to be his normal self and he wasn't letting what they'd been discussing earlier get the better of him. However, he did notice that his father was very quiet. Even when Rosmerta was talking about the baby and how excited they were, Severus remained pretty quiet. Harry didn't think that his father was having second thoughts about having another child, but there was something on his mind.

Not wanting to mention Severus's quietness over dinner, Harry waited until they went home. When they arrived home, Rosmerta headed off to have a bath before bed, and Harry followed his father into his study.

"Is there something wrong?" Severus asked when he realised Harry was following him.

"Funny, I was about to ask you that," Harry said, settling himself down in front of his father's desk. "You were very quiet at dinner."

"You noticed?" Severus frowned, sitting down in his chair.

"I did," Harry confirmed. "So what's wrong? You're not worried about the baby, are you?"

"I am actually," Severus confirmed. "It's just hitting me that we're going to be welcoming a baby into the world in a few weeks."

"But what's the problem?" Harry asked, not understanding his father's worries. "It's not like you haven't done this before."

"Actually, I haven't," Severus replied. "I was away throughout all of your mother's pregnancy, and I knew nothing about it. By the time I found out about you, you'd already been born."

"So you're not worried about being a father, you're worried about the birth," Harry summarised.

"What if I let Rosmerta down?" Severus whispered. "As the pregnancy has gone on, I've been getting more and more nervous. I just don't want to mess up. I want to be there for Rosmerta and the baby."

"You won't mess up," Harry assured his father. "You're the best father this baby could ask for."

"I hope so," Severus sighed. "I'm not really worried about what'll happen when the baby is here, as I've got experience of that. I'm more worried about the birth itself. In a way it's like becoming a father for the first time all over again."

"Maybe you should speak to grandpa," Harry suggested. "He must have gone through the same thing with Hermione. The pregnancy and birth was new to him when Hermione was born. He missed that all with you."

"He missed everything with me," Severus responded with a wry smile. "Don't get me wrong, I know he loves me and I know he's proud of me, but he didn't play any part in raising me. In many ways, Hermione was his first child."

"But even so, he should be able to understand your worries," Harry said. "If anything, I'm sure his worries were worse when he had Hermione. At least you know that you know how to be a father. Grandpa didn't have that to fall back on when he had Hermione. He had no experience with children, but you do. You know that you're going to be a good father, just like you've been to me."

"When did you get so wise?" Severus chuckled, deciding that his son was right and that he would speak to his father.

"I've always been wise, people just don't always listen to me," Harry answered.

He was just hoping that both his best friend and his father listened to him and followed the advice he'd dished out to them. He hadn't expected to spend his first night back home advising Draco and Severus on their problems, but he felt he'd done a good job. He'd offered the best advice he could think of. He'd been a good friend and a good son, and he just had to hope that Draco and his father managed to work through their difficulties and get past the issues that were plaguing them.


	32. Chapter 32

Throughout the Easter holidays, McGonagall tried to decide on the best course of action to take with the book of Hermione's that had fallen into her possession. Although the truth was that despite her initial rash vow to fight back against the dark, she just couldn't see a way of doing it. McGonagall was a smart woman, and she was well aware that the way Voldemort had gone about things this time had made it harder to gather supporters to rise up against him. Even those who didn't believe he and his family could be trusted were reluctant to fight as at the moment the wizarding world was at peace. Voldemort wasn't waging a war, and no-one wanted to ignite one.

As much as McGonagall wanted to do something with the book in her possession, she didn't know what. It was clear that Hermione was gearing up to have some sort of say in the running of Hogwarts, and even though McGonagall didn't like it, she had to admit the dark weren't doing anything wrong. The truth was with the Minister of Magic little more than a stooge for Voldemort and his family, they were well within their rights to do anything they wished with Hogwarts. McGonagall just had to find a way to make sure that they didn't get rid of her as they obviously planned to.

By the end of the Easter holidays, McGonagall had settled on a plan of action, although she didn't really know if it would work. She would have tried implementing it over the holidays, but as it turned out she'd seen very little of the headmaster over the break. The couple of times she had seen Severus in school, he'd been busy and she hadn't been able to catch him alone. She had been hoping to catch him on the last day of the holidays, as the students who'd gone home for Easter were travelling back to Hogwarts, but there'd been no sign of him until the feast on the evening.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to try out her plan of action, McGonagall headed to the headmaster's office as soon as she could after dinner. Severus had left The Great Hall slightly early, and she was just hoping that it hadn't been to go home. It was common knowledge that Rosmerta was pregnant, and while McGonagall didn't know when she as due, last time she'd seen her down at Hogsmeade she looked to be getting near to the end of her pregnancy. Fortunately when McGonagall knocked on the headmaster's door, Severus's voice called out for her to enter. Unfortunately, the headmaster wasn't alone when McGonagall entered the room. Hermione was sitting in front of his desk, and she did not look happy with the interruption.

"Minerva, what can I do for you?" Severus asked politely.

"I wish to discuss something of a delicate nature," McGonagall answered. Settling down in the chair beside Hermione, she pulled the notebook out of her robes.

"Hey, that's my book," Hermione cried. "I've been looking for it all holidays."

"It was found in the library," McGonagall said, carelessly passing the book back to Hermione.

"Thank you for returning it, Minerva," Severus said. "Now, if that's all, we're in the middle of something."

"I took the liberty of looking inside the book while it was in my possession," McGonagall said.

"I bet you did, you nosey old bag," Hermione muttered.

"I'm very pleased I did," McGonagall continued, ignoring Hermione. "It contained a lot of interesting information. Information I'm sure the public will be keen to know."

"I doubt that," Hermione laughed. "It's merely a few notes I've made about the staff, using my experience as a student. Why would anyone be interested by that?"

"They will be when things you've noted start to come true," McGonagall replied. "Your notebook may not outline exactly what you're up to, but it's clear enough that you're going to be involved in staffing issues. I'm not sure how many parents will be happy knowing their children's education is in the hands of a teenager."

"Just what are you saying, Minerva?" Severus questioned.

"In that book is a section about me," McGonagall said. "Hermione notes I'm a good Professor, which I am. Yet she still plans to get rid of me."

"So?" Hermione retorted with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned that her plan to fire the Transfiguration Professor had been exposed. "I did note my reasons for your dismissal."

"You did," McGonagall agreed with a nod. "But I am unwilling to leave Hogwarts without a fight. Hogwarts has been my life from before you were born. I am a good Professor, you admitted it yourself. There is no just cause for sacking me."

"So you're warning us that if we terminate your contract, you'll be fighting it?" Severus asked in confusion. To be honest he'd always expected McGonagall would fight her sacking, but it seemed strange for her to pre-warn them.

"You'll not be sacking me, Severus," McGonagall replied with a slight smile. "Not unless you want the contents of Hermione's book to be made public."

"You've just given it back to me," Hermione laughed. "You don't have the contents anymore."

"On the contrary, I kept a copy," McGonagall returned with a smug smile.

"I still don't get the big deal," Severus said. "So what if Hermione's book is made public? Do you really think it'll matter?"

"I do," McGonagall answered with a nod. "Oh, I'm sure you can spin a good explanation about why she's making notes on the staff, but by then the damage could already have been done. As I said earlier, I can't see the general public been happy that the staffing at Hogwarts is determined by a teenager. It'll cause unrest and distrust in the community."

"We can deal with unrest," Hermione answered with a shrug.

"But would your father want to deal with it?" McGonagall asked. "He's gone about things very differently this time. He's created a scenario where people have no reason to fight him. Yet as I'm sure you're all aware, all it takes is for one spark and the past tensions are reignited. It won't take much to remind people of just what your father is capable of, and how much of a danger he poses to our world. The question is, do you want to be responsible for possibly starting a full on war, Hermione?"

"I doubt the contents of my notebook would result in a war," Hermione sniffed haughtily.

"But are you willing to take that risk?" McGonagall questioned.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked through clenched teeth, knowing that McGonagall was right and the slightest thing could change the way the wizarding world perceived her father and their family.

"Simple, I want to keep my job," McGonagall answered. "I think the students deserve to have at least one member of staff that isn't controlled by your family."

"And why would we keep someone on staff who's spent the last couple of years being nothing but a disruptive force?" Severus questioned.

"To keep me quiet," McGonagall replied, shooting Severus a triumphant smile. "I'm less trouble on the staff, believe me."

"And if we let you carry on teaching?" Hermione asked. "What then?"

"Nothing," McGonagall replied. "Things carry on the way they've always been. I will continue to be the best Professor I can be, and to be there for the students, and I keep quiet about your notes."

"Fine," Hermione conceded. "You can keep your job."

"Just like that?" McGonagall asked, suddenly worried that it had been far too easy to bend Hermione and Severus to her will.

"Just like that," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head. "You're right, leaking my notes could cause problems we don't need. And you're also right about your abilities as a Professor. You're one of the best we've got, and it won't hurt Hogwarts to have such an experienced Professor on the staff. I'm willing to admit I was hasty in choosing to get rid of you, and I'm happy to relent and let you keep your job."

"Now that's sorted, is there anything else?" Severus asked McGonagall.

"I don't think so," McGonagall answered, her head swimming from how fast Hermione had conceded defeat. She'd been prepared for a long fight, but it had taken less and half an hour to ensure she kept her job.

"In that case, my sister and I were in the middle of a private meeting," Severus said.

"I'll be going." Rising to her feet, McGonagall made it all the way to the door, before she turned back to the pair of siblings. "Oh, another thing. You'd also earmarked Sybill Trelawney to get rid of."

"No," Hermione interrupted. "She's going. I'm willing to make an exception for you, because you actually are a competent Professor, but that woman is a fraud. She delights in trying to scare people, and I won't stand for it."

"She's lucky she's still here," Severus added when McGonagall opened her mouth to protest. "It wasn't until after I'd given everyone the chance to stay on the staff that I discovered what she was really like. I'm sorry Minerva, but we won't change our minds on this one. You've kept your job, so don't push your luck. Not a lot of people get away with blackmailing the children of The Dark Lord. Consider yourself very fortunate."

McGonagall nodded her head as she turned and left the headmaster's office. What Severus had said was right, she was fortunate to have gotten away with her risky strategy of blackmailing him and Hermione. Although she couldn't for the life of her work out why they'd given in so easily. To be honest, she wasn't even sure her arguments were that persuasive, and she doubted making Hermione's notes public would cause that much fuss. So why had they backed down and let her remain on the staff when they could have called her bluff and gotten rid of her? McGonagall wasn't sure, but she was sure that she would have to be on her guard. People who angered the dark tended to end up dead, and she had no intention of ending up like Ron Weasley or Poppy Pomfrey.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

"Bitch," Hermione snarled, glaring at the door McGonagall had just swept out of. She'd been in her brother's office to discuss her thoughts of training new, younger members of staff, but they'd barely had a chance to begin before they'd been interrupted. "How dare she blackmail us?"

"And just how did she get away with it?" Severus asked his sister. "Why did you back down and let her keep her job?"

"Because the old cow was right," Hermione admitted with a sigh. "My notes might not be much, but they could be the spark to ignite a rebellion. With Lottie and your baby due any day now, we don't need a full scale war. I didn't like it, but I gave in to keep the peace. Besides, it's only for another year or two."

"And you think she'll then retire peacefully?" Severus asked with a disbelieving chuckle. "In wizarding years, she's not that old, Hermione. She's only about father's age, and he's still got plenty of life left in him. Then look at Dumbledore, he was over a hundred and he would have carried on teaching for years if father hadn't killed him. I hate to say it, but I don't think you'll be getting rid of Minerva in the next few years."

"I will," Hermione answered with confidence. "My notes might cause a stir at the present moment, but they won't forever. In a couple of years once everything is in place, the Ministry will announce the new changes to the school systems. It'll be common knowledge that I'm leading the revolution, so McGonagall will have no ammunition to hurt us with. All she's done is earned herself a couple more years of working here. Her days are still numbered, she just doesn't realise it yet."

"Very impressive," Severus chuckled in admiration. "I always underestimate how devious you can be, Hermione."

"You would think by now you would know what I'm capable of," Hermione replied with a devious smirk.

"Speaking of what you're capable of, how are thing coming along with your plans to deal with the Weasley girl?"

"Everything is in place," Hermione answered. "I've just got to get her outside on the full moon at the end of the month."

"Outside of school grounds if you can," Severus said. "If she's found outside of school grounds, the blame will be on her shoulders. However, if she's inside the grounds, we could get into trouble for not protecting her."

"Don't worry, there'll be no come back on the school," Hermione reassured her brother. "Ginny is going to be the one at fault. She's going to be the one sneaking out of school in the middle of the night."

"Just be careful," Severus warned. "This is an ambitious plan you've got going on. You don't want to have dealt with the McGonagall situation, only to have something go wrong with the Weasley girl and still get a rebellion. If anything, this has the potential to be more damaging than anything Minerva McGonagall can throw at us."

"You worry too much, Severus," Hermione replied, just as the floo network sounded in the corner of the room.

"It's my job to worry," Severus answered as he headed over to the fire. Seeing it was just a call, he knelt down on the floor and found Beth's head floating in the flames. "Beth. What's wrong? Is it Rosmerta?"

"Rosmerta's fine," Beth answered. "She's just gone into labour. We're already at the hospital."

"I'm coming," Severus replied, jumping to his feet and ending the call. "Harry, we need to tell Harry," He said to Hermione as he picked up his cloak and swung it over his shoulders upside down in his panic.

"Calm down," Hermione said calmly as her brother fixed his cloak. "Rosmerta needs you to be calm. You go on through to the hospital, and I'll go and grab Harry. Either Lucius or Narcissa can let us use their floo so we can come and join you."

"Yes, that sounds like a plan," Severus said with a nod as he picked up some floo powder.

Hermione watched as her brother headed off to hospital in a panic. Shaking her head, she left the headmaster's office and went to grab Harry. Together the pair went down to the dungeons, where Lucius and Narcissa were settled in their rooms for the evening, and they used the floo in Narcissa's office to go to the hospital. Once at the hospital they settled down with Beth, Voldemort and Charlotte as they waited to meet the newest member of the family.


	33. Chapter 33

Rosmerta sat quietly in the rocking chair in the nursery, her new daughter nestled safely in her arms. Truth be told, Rosmerta had never been sure she would ever have children, at least until she started dating Severus and her entire life had changed. Before Severus she'd had no family to speak of, and now she was surrounded by people who loved her. She had a husband, a stepson, a large extended family and now to complete her happiness she had an adorable baby girl.

Rosmerta and the baby had come home earlier that morning, only to find the entire family waiting for them. Harry and Hermione had ended up returning to school before Rosmerta had given birth as it had been a long labour, so it was their first chance to meet the newest member of the family. Harry had been pretty smitten with his new little sister, and Rosmerta suspected he would be visiting home more than normal over the last few months of school.

"Here you are," Severus said, walking into the room. He was currently trying to divide his time between his wife and new daughter and Hogwarts, but luckily he had Lucius at school to keep things running smoothly when he was at home.

"Where else would we be?" Rosmerta asked with a soft chuckle. "I'm trying to get the little one to sleep."

"We really do need a name for her," Severus mused, bending down and stroking his daughter's head.

"I did offer some suggestions," Rosmerta pointed out. After she'd given birth, she'd given her husband a whole host of name suggestions, but he'd been hesitant about every suggestion she'd come up with.

"I know you did," Severus conceded. "But we have to pick the right name, not just the first one that pops into our heads."

"Do you know how Harry got his name?" Rosmerta asked carefully. She knew her husband had played no part in naming his son, as he hadn't known of his existence until after his birth, so she was hoping she wasn't raising a sore subject at a time when they should be so happy.

"I don't," Severus admitted with a sigh. "I never got the chance to ask Lily. I do know she picked the name, rather than Potter. But I don't know why she settled on Harry."

"Maybe she just liked the name, or thought it suited him," Rosmerta replied. "Maybe that's what we should do. See which name we think suits our daughter."

"I'm guessing you already have a name you think suits her," Severus said, giving his wife a fond smile.

"My personal favourite is Caroline," Rosmerta answered, looking down at her daughter. "Little Caro."

"It sounds as if we've named her after Alecto and Amycus," Severus snorted.

"So you don't like it," Rosmerta said, her face falling slightly as her husband dismissed her favourite name.

"I didn't say that," Severus replied. "I actually like it. Caroline Snape. It has a ring to it."

"So we've settled on a name?" Rosmerta asked excitedly.

"I think we have," Severus said. Gazing down at his daughter, he smiled when she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Hello Caroline."

The baby in Rosmerta's arms gurgled in response and waved her pudgy arms in the air. With a laugh, Severus scooped his daughter out of Rosmerta's arms and pulled her close to him.

"Caroline it is then," Rosmerta said with a smile, feeling all emotional watching her husband and daughter bonding.

During the actual labour, Severus had been a nervous wreck and about as much use as a chocolate teapot, but since Caroline had been born he'd come into his own and proved what a natural father he was. He'd always been a great father to Harry, and Rosmerta knew he would be the same with Caroline. Both Harry and Caroline were lucky to have Severus as their father, and Rosmerta considered herself lucky to have him as her husband. She really couldn't ask for a better family than the one she'd ended up with.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny flounced out of Gryffindor Tower, unable to stomach being in the same room as Harry any longer. Her bitterness and anger towards Harry and Hermione was as strong as ever, and it really riled her that everything seemingly went their way. While Ginny's family had been torn apart over the last year, Harry and Hermione's had gone from strength to strength. When Beth hadn't returned at the beginning of the year, speculation had been rife as to why, and rumours soon started circulating that she was pregnant. Hermione had never officially confirmed anything, but Ginny had heard her talking about her baby sister. Now Harry was celebrating becoming a big brother and Ginny had had just about all she could take.

Storming off to the library, Ginny secluded herself in a quiet corner of the library and focused on her homework. After a couple of hours she'd had enough of school work, and she packed up, hoping that by the time she returned to Gryffindor Tower, Harry would have finished showing off. Or even if he hadn't, she could go up to her dorm room and settle down for the night.

Leaving the library, Ginny turned to head towards the staircase that led to Gryffindor Tower. However, she'd barely made it out of the corridor where the library was located when someone hissed her name from one of the empty classrooms nearby. Pulling out her wand warily, Ginny looked around to see where the voice had come from. When the voice called her name again, she pinpointed the room it originated from and stalked towards the classroom. Peering in the doorway, she found Pansy Parkinson sitting on one of the desks, shooting her an impatient look.

"About time," Pansy muttered, jumping off the desk and shutting the door behind Ginny. "I thought you were going to ignore me."

"I was tempted, since I didn't know who was calling my name," Ginny replied. "What do you want, Parkinson?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Pansy tutted.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at the Slytherin witches use of the word friend. It was true that since the start of term, Pansy would occasionally speak to her and recall the moment when Ginny hit Hermione. But in no way were they friends. In fact, most of the time Pansy didn't even acknowledge her, and when she did, all she was interested in talking about was Hermione, and how much she hated her.

"We're not friends, Parkinson," Ginny finally pointed out.

"You're right, we're not," Pansy agreed with a nod. "But we do have a common enemy."

"If this is going to be another rant about Hermione, I'm not in the mood," Ginny snapped.

"Not even if I told you I knew a way to silence for her good?" Pansy questioned with a devious smirk.

"What do you mean by silence her?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Get her out of the way," Pansy clarified. "I know how you can do it."

"Me?" Ginny questioned with an unamused laugh. "Why can't you get rid of her?"

"Because it's more than my life's worth to mess with The Dark Lord," Pansy answered. "My entire family would be destroyed if it was ever discovered I'd tried to get rid of Hermione."

"And it doesn't matter if my family is destroyed, I suppose?" Ginny snorted.

"Not to be rude, but your family had already been blown apart," Pansy pointed out. "You're an enemy of the dark without having to do anything. Wouldn't you rather exact some vengeance on Hermione while you have the chance? They will come after you. Just like they came after your brothers. Take this opportunity while you have it, or you might just live to regret it."

"Why would you risk getting rid of Hermione?" Ginny asked. "Even if I do the dirty work for you, what do you gain? You may not like her, but why take such drastic measures?"

"That is simple," Pansy replied with a slow smirk. "If she's out of the way, I get my shot at Draco."

"Malfoy?" Ginny spat. "You're risking everything for Malfoy? I'll admit he's hot, but he's also trouble. He's not worth risking your life for."

"I beg to differ," Pansy said with a careless shrug. "Look, my motives don't matter here. I can give you the power to destroy Granger. Do you want it, or do I find myself someone with more guts than you?"

Ginny hesitated as she weighed up her options. She really wanted to be the one to take down Hermione, especially with all the trouble her family had caused for the Weasleys. But on the other hand, she didn't want to end up like Ron, or even like Bill and Charlie. She wanted so desperately to fight, but she was aware that her family had already lost so much already. One more tragedy might just push her mother over the edge, and Ginny didn't want to be responsible for destroying Molly.

"Clearly you haven't got what it takes," Pansy declared with a disgusted snort as she headed to the door. "I overestimated you, Weasley. I thought you had guts. I thought you were capable of standing up to that bitch Granger."

"I am capable of standing up to her," Ginny insisted, stopping Pansy just before she reached for the door handle. "She doesn't scare me."

"It looks like she does from where I'm standing," Pansy shot back.

"I'll do it," Ginny cried without thinking as Pansy reached for the door handle.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Pansy asked, slowly turning back to face Ginny.

"I can handle it," Ginny confirmed with a steely nod. "I can bring her down. Just tell me how."

"It's too dangerous here in school," Pansy said. "I'm risking a lot even talking to you."

"We can meet in Hogsmeade," Ginny suggested. "There's a trip next week."

"I need to put some things in place before we can meet," Pansy replied cryptically. "Besides, meeting in broad daylight is too risky."

"What do you suggest, a night-time meeting?" Ginny joked.

"Exactly," Pansy replied, her face deadly serious. "Meet me just outside of the school gates on the last Friday of the month at midnight. We can go down to Hogsmeade together, and I can give you the key to destroying Hermione."

"How do you expect me to leave school grounds in the middle of the night?" Ginny asked.

"Use your ingenuity," Pansy replied with an unconcerned shrug. "Unless, you're not smart enough to sneak out of the castle after curfew."

"I'll be there," Ginny vowed.

"I'll look forward to it," Pansy said with a smirk. "See you at the end of the month, Weasley."

Ginny didn't even have a chance to reply before Pansy pulled open the door and slunk out into the corridor. By the time Ginny crossed the classroom and exited it, there was no sign of the Slytherin witch. Her mind rolling over the possibilities of finally getting rid of Hermione, Ginny returned to Gryffindor Tower in high spirits. Let Harry and Hermione walk around as though they were untouchable. Ginny was about to prove they weren't. She was about to bring their entire world crashing down around them, and she couldn't wait.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Hermione watched from the shadows as Ginny emerged from the classroom, a triumphant smile on her face. Once she was sure Ginny had gone, Hermione slid from her hiding place in an alcove opposite the classroom Ginny had just exited, and turned and headed towards the head dorms. Since it was nearing curfew, there weren't a lot of students around and Hermione passed no-one as she walked to the head dorms. Giving the password to the portrait, Hermione sauntered into the common room and smiled when she found Draco lounging on the sofa, a book in his hand.

"Hey gorgeous," she greeted with a smile.

"Creepy," Draco remarked with a grimace as he looked up at Hermione.

"Excuse me?" Hermione frowned.

"I know it's you, but all I see and hear is Pansy," Draco said. "As I said, creepy."

"It's just a bit of polyjuice potion," Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes. "And hopefully, this will be the last time I need it."

"So she bought it?" Draco asked. He'd been sceptical when Hermione had told her how she planned on luring Ginny out of the castle on the next full moon.

"Hook, line and sinker," Hermione replied with a grin, settling down next to Draco on the sofa. As she did so, she felt the polyjuice potion begin to wear off and within five minutes she was back to her normal self.

"Now that's better," Draco said with a smile. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over Hermione's in greeting. "Welcome back."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco, even though she was pleased that he waited to kiss her until she was back to being herself. Even if he knew it was her, she didn't like to think he would kiss her when she was looking like Pansy.

"So back to Weaselette," Draco said. "She really fell for it? She really believes Pansy will give her a way to get rid of you?"

"She does," Hermione replied with a nod. "To be honest, I kept waiting for her brains to kick in and for her to realise that she might be being set up, but it never happened. Even when she hesitated about getting involved, a few barbs about her lack of guts had her doing exactly as I wanted. Honestly, she was so easy to manipulate it was laughable."

"So we're all set for the end of the month," Draco said quietly.

"We are," Hermione confirmed. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Draco answered, giving Hermione a quick smile. "Don't worry Hermione, I know you'll be safe."

"I already knew that," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "I'm always safe when I'm with you."

"Even when I'm a wolf?"

"Especially when you're a wolf," Hermione insisted firmly. "You would never hurt me, in either form."

"I wouldn't," Draco agreed. There was still a small part of him that worried about Hermione being so close to him when he was a wolf, but he doubted that would ever go away, even though he knew she was the love of his life and he would die before he let anything happen to her.

"All we have to do is keep Ginny out of the school grounds while we attack," Hermione said. "Severus was insistent on that. He doesn't want any comeback on Hogwarts."

"Understandable," Draco said with a nod. "Although I won't have any control over her after I've attacked. If she turns, I can't stop her going back up to the school."

"We can't have that," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "I'll speak to Severus and see if he and Lucius can erect a ward that will prevent Ginny from getting back onto school grounds if she turns."

"We also have to think about getting you back to school as soon as possible," Draco added. "You know I won't hurt you, but we can't say the same for Weaselette."

"I think you're forgetting that you'll still be there," Hermione said with a small smile, edging closer to her boyfriend on the sofa. "If Ginny does to try to hurt me, she'll have to get through you."

"Not happening," Draco said firmly. "If she attacks you, I can't promise that she'll survive. No-one hurts you and lives to tell the tale."

"Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're all possessive?" Hermione asked in a purr as she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and nuzzled his neck. "I love it when you're all domineering."

"I can show you domineering," Draco growled.

Crashing his lips against Hermione's, Draco pulled his fiancée against him. Quick as a flash, he had her pinned under him on the sofa. Hermione grinned up at Draco, more than happy to let him take control. Since becoming a wolf, Draco's possessive streak had grown a fair bit and Hermione was more than happy to give herself over to him as he staked his claim on her. She was his, and she didn't care less who knew that her heart, body and soul belonged to Draco.


	34. Chapter 34

On the day of the full moon, Hermione and Draco spent the afternoon with their friends. Aside from Harry, no-one else knew what was about to happen that evening, but it had already been decided that it would be handy for Hermione to have an alibi if Ginny accused her of being involved in her attack. Not that Hermione and Draco were going to let their friends stay too late, but they would all be around long enough to work out how the couple were supposedly going to be spending their evening.

Over the course of the afternoon, Draco and Hermione were becoming increasingly hands on with one another. It wasn't that long before Hermione ended up settling herself on Draco's lap and the pair were whispering to themselves, rather than talking to their friends. Of course they ended up doing more than talking, and Harry visibly blanched when they began to kiss passionately and Draco's hand slid under Hermione's skirt.

"Enough," Harry cried, jumping to his feet and scowling at his aunt and best friend.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked innocently as she tore her lips away from Draco's.

"I know you two are love's young dream, and you're obsessed with each other, but this is going too far," Harry said. "I'm as happy as anyone that you're together and getting married, but we don't need to witness your hormones taking charge. Either put each other down, or find somewhere private to canoodle."

"Canoodle?" Theo laughed. "What are you, Harry, a hundred? Who the hell says canoodle?"

"What's wrong with canoodle?" Harry asked.

"Everything," Blaise snickered. "I would have said Draco and Hermione were groping."

"Fine," Harry huffed, refusing his attention on the amorous pair who were watching the interchange with amusement. "Stop groping in public."

"It's not public, it's our private dorms," Draco pointed out. "And let me tell you Harry, we've done more than grope in these dorms. In fact, I don't think you want to know what we did right where you were just sitting."

"Please stop," Harry wailed as everyone burst out laughing at Draco's comment. "I don't need to know anything more. You'll scar me for life."

"I was just saying that we really weren't doing anything too sordid," Draco said with a shrug. "I'm sure we could do worse."

"I'm sure you could," Harry muttered. "But do you really have to do it now? Can't you control your hormones for a few hours?"

"We've been good all afternoon," Hermione argued. "And it's not as if you and Daphne weren't holding hands earlier."

"We were holding hands, I didn't have my hand up her skirt," Harry protested, gesturing to where Draco's hand was still out of sight under Hermione's skirt.

"It's not like you can see anything," Hermione pointed out. "Besides, as Draco said, these are our private dorms."

"Maybe we should leave," Harry said wearily. "Before things get totally out of control."

"Or we could go deal with our hormones and come back," Draco suggested with a wicked smirk.

"Yeah, it shouldn't take more than an hour or two," Hermione added mischievously.

"Maybe we should go," Theo said eagerly, not wanting to stick around and potentially hear something risqué.

"If you're sure," Hermione said as the others nodded in agreement to Theo and Harry's suggestion.

"It's for the best," Harry said as the group got to their feet. "You two enjoy your evening."

"Oh, we intend to," Draco answered with a smirk as he moved his hand under Hermione's skirt, causing her to moan slightly.

Hermione's moan sped up the departure of the group, and after quickly saying their goodbyes they left the head students to enjoy their night of debauchery. Despite his eagerness to leave, Harry was the last one out of the door, and he gave the pair a knowing wink before he exited the room.

"Perfect," Hermione laughed, not bothering to move from her boyfriend's lap. "Now all our friends will swear when they left us, we were heading for an early night. And I'm sure if we're really pressed, we can produce memories of our night."

"You really think it will get that far?" Draco asked. "Even if Weaselette does accuse you, who would take her seriously? The headmaster is your brother, and everyone knows the Minister is just keeping the seat warm for either you or Harry to take over. It's not like anyone will really investigate this."

"Actually, father is going to tell Bernard to launch a full investigation if the Weasleys complain," Hermione said. "That way, it doesn't matter how much they protest, the world can see that the Ministry investigated and found that Ginny was the one at fault."

"What about Pansy?" Draco asked. "She's also going to be implicated. But she'll deny ever having spoken to Weaselette."

"And that's why it's so perfect," Hermione replied with a smile. "Pansy will be convincing, because she'll be telling the truth. And she's not going to get the blame, because she'll be tucked up safe in the dungeons with the other Slytherins. I may not like the girl, but I won't let her take the fall for this. Don't worry Draco, everything will work out just as we planned."

"Let's hope so," Draco said. "Now since we've got a couple of hours to kill, what do you say to making our implications to our friends come true?"

"You can count me in," Hermione replied, eagerly connecting her lips with Draco's.

Since they had a limited time, the couple didn't bother with going to the bedroom. Instead they got frisky in the common room and when they were finished they got ready for the evening ahead. Half an hour before the moon was due to rise, the pair snuck out of the head dorms and using their knowledge of the castle, they slipped out of a rarely used back door and onto the grounds. Making a beeline for the Forbidden Forest, the pair slipped into the trees nearest to the path as they began heading down to the gates that marked the end of the school grounds. When they reached the gate, they found it locked as expected, but it was easy enough for them to clamour over the top and out into the Scottish countryside.

"Do you think Weaselette can climb the gate?" Draco asked, stashing his set of clean clothes in a hole just outside of the school gates.

"I can't see why not," Hermione remarked with a shrug. "I guess we'll find out in a few hours."

"I guess we will," Draco replied. "Are you going to wait here? I can be back for midnight."

"Are you not sticking around?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"I can do, but I was looking forward to exploring somewhere new. I know the manor grounds like the back of my hand, but this is a new adventure."

Not having the heart to ask Draco to stop with her, Hermione told her boyfriend to go off and enjoy himself. Giving her a quick kiss, he disappeared into the forest as the moon began to rise. Hermione shivered in anticipation when she heard a loud howl from nearby, and she smiled when a gorgeous grey wolf padded out of the forest to greet her.

"Go off and explore," she said to Draco with an affectionate chuckle as she stroked his fur. "But be back before midnight."

Draco's head nodded in agreement, before he turned and loped away. Hermione watched him run off into the countryside, wishing she could join him. She loved that she could now be with Draco in his wolf form, but she knew what they could do in that time was limited. She would give anything to truly experience what he did, and to run at his side, free as only animals were.

"Or can I?" Hermione whispered to herself, something Harry had once told her Sirius had mentioned to him, popping into her head.

Musing over her options, Hermione made her way to the bench she'd already picked out as the perfect place to wait for Ginny. The bench wasn't visible from the school grounds as it was nestled on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't until you were passing right in front of it that you saw it, although sitting on the bench offered perfect views of the school gates. Settling down on the bench, Hermione pulled out her wand, and keeping an eye on the gates she began to think about ways she could join Draco during his transformations.

Hermione had all but settled on a plan for the future when she heard movement in the trees behind her. Jumping to her feet, she raised her wand in protection, but lowered it again when Draco trotted out of the forest. Smiling at Draco, she flopped back down on the bench and returned her focus to the gates. Draco settled himself on the ground beside the bench, but Hermione could sense that he was alert and looking out for trouble.

"I think this is her," Hermione whispered ten minutes later as she spotted shadows in the grounds.

Abandoning the bench, Hermione and Draco both slipped into the forest for further cover. Normally Hermione would never have dreamed of entering the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, but she knew with Draco at her side that nothing would hurt her. Creeping through the trees, she edged closer to the gates and watched as the shadow edged closer to the boundary line of the school. The closer the shadow got, the more detail became clear and long before she reached the gates, Ginny was clearly visible making her way towards them.

When Ginny reached the gates she hesitated when she found them locked. For one moment, Hermione thought the younger witch was going to turn back and return to the castle, but after a bit of indecision, she began to climb the metal structure. She may have been alone, but Ginny made the climb look effortless and she dropped to the ground outside of school with a soft thud.

"Pansy?" Ginny hissed, her eyes darting to both sides as she sought out the witch she was due to meet.

Hermione remained silent as Ginny ventured a bit further away from the gates. She waited until Ginny was halfway towards the bench where she'd just vacated, before quietly stepping from the trees and positioning herself in between the redhead and Hogwarts. Now Ginny would have to get past her to return to school, and Hermione was not going to let that happen.

"Pansy?" Ginny hissed again, not having noticed Hermione appear.

"She's not coming," Hermione announced, alerting Ginny to her presence.

Whirling around at the sound of her voice, Ginny glared hatefully at Hermione. "You. This was a trap. Parkinson's set me up."

"And it was oh so easy," Hermione cackled, not correcting Ginny's mistake. "You would think after everything that had happened, that you would be on full alert. How stupid are you that you've left the safety of school grounds to meet a witch you don't really know?"

"People know I'm here," Ginny said defiantly, refusing to give into the fear that was starting to creep up inside her. "If you do anything to me, people will know it was you."

"How, you're supposed to be meeting Pansy?" Hermione cackled.

"And you think she'll protect you?" Ginny asked, glancing from side to side for an escape route. Hermione was in between her and Hogwarts, and she knew she wouldn't make it to Hogsmeade without Hermione catching her up. "Parkinson will sell you out in an instant."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Hermione replied with a shrug. "Although for the record, I have to say that I don't intend to do anything to you."

"Yeah, because you've just lured me down here to talk," Ginny snorted.

"Actually, I lured you here to meet a friend of mine," Hermione said, a devious smirk creeping onto her lips. "Come on out," She called loudly.

Ginny whirled around looking for whoever Hermione had with her, and she froze when a large, grey wolf stalked out of the forest. The wolf casually strolled into the path, and stood himself between Ginny and Hogsmeade. Now unless she wanted to run into the Forbidden Forest and face whatever dangers lay in there, she was trapped.

"Greyback," Ginny whispered, remembering what her brothers had told her over the summer holidays. Although, it looked more like she was facing a wild wolf rather than a werewolf.

"You've heard of Greyback?" Hermione asked. As before she didn't correct Ginny's mistake, as it was good for them if she thought Greyback was the grey wolf.

"I've heard of him, I'm not an idiot," Ginny snarled.

"That is a matter of opinion," Hermione laughed. "You let yourself be lured out of Hogwarts, where you're about to be attacked by a werewolf."

"You're going to let him attack me?" Ginny asked in horror as the wolf barred its teeth and began to growl quietly.

"I am," Hermione replied with a sigh as though she regretted what she was about to do. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not. You deserve this, Ginny."

Knowing that Hermione was serious, Ginny turned and ran towards the forest. Sadly for Ginny, Draco had anticipated that would be her move and he launched himself at her. Draco's large form crashed into Ginny before she even reached the nearest tree, knocking her to the ground. Crying and screaming, Ginny lashed out at Draco, but he was too strong for her and she was stuck underneath him, completely at his mercy.

"Please don't," Ginny whimpered.

"Do it," Hermione urged her fiancé.

Draco turned his head and looked at Hermione, before focusing back on Ginny and sinking his teeth into her neck. Ginny's cries of terror ricocheted around the forest, but Hermione wasn't worried about anyone hearing them. No-one was around to see or hear what was happening. No-one was around to save Ginny as Draco launched a savage attack on her. An attack which would change her life forever.

Hermione watched the attack with relish, and she wasn't even put off when Draco moved away from Ginny's lifeless body with a bloody snout. Giving him a stroke on the head, she carefully checked on Ginny to make sure she wasn't dead. Thankfully, Ginny was still breathing, which was what Hermione wanted. Draco may have been able to embrace his inner wolf, but she knew Ginny wouldn't have that option. She would be like the majority of the wizarding world and think she'd been cursed, and more than likely she would be shunned by the wizarding community.

As Hermione stood over Ginny's body, Draco nudged at her legs. Turning to her boyfriend, she watched as he jerked his head in the direction of Hogwarts. Knowing that he was telling her to get back to school, Hermione nodded and gave his head another stroke.

"I'm going, you keep an eye on her," Hermione said.

Even though Severus and Lucius had erected a new ward around Hogwarts, they hadn't been sure that it would definitely keep Ginny out of the grounds. Then there was Hogsmeade to take into consideration, as no-one wanted Ginny to go on a rampage and hurt innocent people. The plan was for Draco to keep an eye on Ginny, and make sure that she didn't hurt anyone. If needs must, he would take her out if that was what it took, but they were hoping that it wouldn't be necessary. With any luck, Ginny would spend the night wandering around the forest, and when she was found in the morning, her life would be changed forever. Nothing was ever going to be the same for Ginny, not now she'd been bitten by a werewolf on a full moon.


	35. Chapter 35

After a slightly restless night, Hermione was awake before the sun rose. Sneaking out of the head dorms she made her way to the back door where Draco would re-enter the castle. Keeping an eye out for any other early risers, Hermione waited for her fiancé to return. Less than ten minutes after sunrise, she spotted Draco approaching the castle, keeping to the early morning shadows.

"Hey," she whispered in greeting when Draco reached the castle.

"Hey," Draco returned, before pulling Hermione into his arms and giving her a passionate kiss.

Hermione automatically returned the kiss, and although she wanted nothing more than to make the most of the friskiness Draco would be feeling, she reluctantly pulled away from her fiancé. Not only was it not the place to get intimate, but they had other things to discuss. The previous night hadn't been a normal full moon, and they needed to be ready for what would happen next.

"Did everything run okay after I left?" Hermione asked.

"Let's talk back in our rooms," Draco said, glancing around and checking no-one was lurking around.

Nodding her head, Hermione slipped her hand into Draco's and the pair snuck back to the head dorms. Thankfully no-one spotted them and they were soon ensconced in the head dorms. Instead of going up to Draco's room, where they would only get distracted, they settled on the sofa to talk.

"So?" Hermione prompted when Draco didn't start to speak immediately. "What happened? Did you have problems with Ginny?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Draco replied. "She transformed shortly after you left, but she was out of it for a while before she woke up."

"You were the same," Hermione said, recalling the night when Draco had been attacked by Lupin. "So how did the rest of the night go?"

"Severus and Father will be pleased to hear the wards around Hogwarts worked," Draco said. "She tried to get up to the castle, but she couldn't. She also tried to get down to the village, but I stopped her. I wasn't exactly gentle though. She might be a bit roughed up. She certainly wasn't looking too good when she transformed back at sunrise."

"You saw her when she turned back?" Hermione frowned. "Without her clothes on?"

Chuckling lightly, Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pecked her on the cheek. "It was just a glimpse, but you've got nothing to worry about. You're the only witch I want to see naked. I just wanted to be sure she wasn't awake right away."

"Why wasn't she?" Hermione asked with a frown. "You're always awake when you turn back at sunrise."

"I am now, but I wasn't the first time," Draco reminded her. "I was awake fairly early in the morning, but not at sunrise. Chances are Weaselette will be asleep for a while yet."

"I wonder how things are going to run this morning," Hermione mused. "Do you think someone will miss Ginny before she wakes? Or will she wake up and try to find her own way back to the castle?"

"I have no idea," Draco replied with a shrug. "But let's not worry about what happens next. I've just spent the night as a wolf, and I have some remaining energy. How about we use up that energy?"

"Sounds like a plan," Hermione said with a smile as she rose to her feet. "Are you coming?" she asked, giving her fiancé a sultry look.

"That's my plan," Draco answered with a smirk, jumping up and grabbing hold of Hermione.

Laughing happily the couple headed off to Draco's bedroom where they collapsed onto Draco's bed and spent the first few hours of daylight using up Draco's excessive sexual energy following his night as a wolf.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Knowing what was happening overnight, Severus got very little sleep. He'd deliberately stayed at Hogwarts so that he would be on hand when the inevitable fuss about Ginny swirled up. Not sure when the problem of Ginny would raise its head, Severus was up just after sunrise, trying to distract himself with paperwork. In fact, it was nearly seven before there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in," Severus called, making sure he didn't look expectant.

When the door opened he wasn't surprised to find McGonagall entering the room. Given what had happened recently, things were still tense between them, so he didn't give the Head of Gryffindor the warmest of welcomes. However, McGonagall was undeterred by his frostiness as she clearly had something more important on her mind.

"We have a problem," she announced.

"What sort of problem?" Severus asked.

"Ginny Weasley."

"What's she's done?" Severus questioned.

"Nothing," McGonagall answered, clearly annoyed by Severus's assumption that the Gryffindor girl had done something. "She's missing."

"Missing?" Severus frowned. "What do you mean, missing?"

"She's not in her dorms," McGonagall explained. "One of her dorm mates came to see me this morning. According to them, Ginny snuck out of Gryffindor Tower late last night and she still hasn't returned."

"That's hardly missing," Severus snorted. "Maybe she's holed up with a boy somewhere. I don't think we need to cause a huge fuss over a student breaking the rules. When she turns up, you can punish her for leaving dorms after the curfew."

"That's it?" McGonagall questioned. "A student is missing, and you're just dismissing it. I bet you wouldn't have this attitude if it was one of the Slytherins missing, or your sister or son."

"If Miss Weasley is missing, I will be very concerned," Severus said snappishly. "But have you even searched the castle to establish she isn't here?"

"No, not yet," McGonagall admitted sheepishly.

"Then I suggest you do so," Severus ordered.

McGonagall glared at Severus, but she turned to leave the office and follow out his orders. However, before she got a chance to leave the office the floo network sounded, signalling someone was trying to get in touch. Walking over to the fire, Severus activated the floo and the head of the wizard managing The Three Broomsticks for Rosmerta appeared in the flames.

"Liam," Severus greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"You need to get down to Hogsmeade," Liam replied. "One of your students has been found just outside the village."

"Found in what way?" Severus asked.

"Naked and unconscious," Liam answered. "She still hasn't woken up, so to be honest we're just guessing she's one of yours. She certainly just looks like a teenager, albeit a battered one."

"I'll be straight there," Severus said, ending the call. When he rose back to his feet, he found McGonagall staring accusingly at him. "I'm sorry," he bit out. "You were right. But you didn't know you were right."

"I suppose so," McGonagall muttered. "But I'm coming down to Hogsmeade with you. If it is Ginny, I want to be there for her."

"Follow me," Severus said sharply as he grabbed some floo powder from the pot on top of the fireplace.

Severus flooed to The Three Broomsticks, promptly followed by McGonagall. Liam was waiting for them when they arrived, and he showed them into a back room. On the sofa in the room lay Ginny, wrapped in blankets that Severus recognised as belonging to the pub. There was bruising on Ginny's face, and down her left cheek was a long, vivid red scratch mark.

"What happened?" McGonagall gasped, rushing over to Ginny.

"As I said, she was found just outside the village," Liam said. "I'm always up early sorting the pub for the day, and when I was in the back yard I spotted a figure on the ground. When I saw it was a young girl, I covered her up and brought her back to the pub. I did it all magically as not to hurt her."

"We need to move her back to the castle," Severus said. "The school medi-witch can treat her."

"Allow me," McGonagall said, raising her wand to levitate Ginny.

Making sure to keep the blanket firmly wrapped around Ginny, McGonagall moved her over to the fire. With a bit of manoeuvring, McGonagall got Ginny back through the fire and back to Hogwarts. After thanking Liam, and asking him to keep quiet about what had happened, Severus followed the pair back to school. From Severus's office, they took Ginny to the hospital wing where the witch who'd taken over from Madam Pomfrey was just setting up for the day.

"What happened?" Madam Jenkins demanded.

"We don't know," McGonagall replied. "She was found like this on the outskirts of Hogsmeade."

"Settle her on a bed and I'll look her over," Madam Jenkins ordered.

Once Ginny was settled on the bed, Madam Jenkins pulled the curtains around the bed and set about examining Ginny in private. However, she'd barely started her examination when she pulled back the curtain to address Severus and McGonagall.

"You'll want to see this," she said sombrely, gesturing for the pair to come forward.

Severus and McGonagall stepped forward to Ginny's bedside and found that the blanket had been pulled down enough to reveal Ginny's neck and the top of her shoulders. On the left side of her neck was a vivid red gash, and when they leant forward they could see teeth marks in Ginny's neck and upper shoulder.

"Something bit her," McGonagall gasped. "What?"

"I don't know," Madam Jenkins said. "But I do know last night was a full moon."

"No," McGonagall whispered, the colour draining from her face in horror. "It can't be."

"I guess we'll know for sure when Miss Weasley wakes up," Madam Jenkins said.

"We'll also find out what she was doing outside of the school grounds," Severus said.

"Surely you're not blaming what's happened on Ginny. She's the victim here," McGonagall snarled, glaring at Severus.

"I'm not denying she's been hurt, but she was found outside of the castle grounds," Severus replied. "If she left the safety of the castle, what happened to her is all on her head."

"I never thought you were so callous, Severus," McGonagall hissed. "Even with who your father is, I thought you had a shred a humanity. But you don't, you're just as bad as the rest of your family. You're a monster."

Severus smirked at the insult, and shrugged a casual shoulder. "I suppose that depends on your definition of a monster. Now, I suggest we let Madam Jenkins finish her examination."

Clearly disgusted with Severus, McGonagall backed away from Ginny's bed to let the medi-witch finish. By the time Madam Jenkins had finished examining Ginny, and determining that aside from the obvious bruises and scratches, she was okay, Ginny was beginning to stir. As the redheaded girl woke up, Severus stood at the bottom of the bed and watched as McGonagall hovered over her.

"Ginny," McGonagall said softly, stroking Ginny's hair as her eyes fluttered open. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Ginny whispered. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital wing," McGonagall explained gently. "As for what happened, we were hoping you would tell us. You were found down in Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?" Ginny frowned as McGonagall helped her to sit up, all the time keeping the blankets wrapped around her to maintain her modesty.

"Take your time," McGonagall said. "Just tell us what you remember."

Ginny's eyes slid shut as she clearly tried to remember the previous night. After a few minutes, her eyes suddenly flew open and glared angrily at Severus.

"Hermione," she hissed.

"Excuse me?" Severus frowned.

"Hermione," Ginny repeated. "It was Hermione. I thought I was meeting Parkinson, but it was Hermione."

"Hold on," Severus interrupted. "You left school grounds to meet Pansy Parkinson?"

"Yes, but it was a set up," Ginny answered. "It was Hermione who was there, and she wasn't alone."

"Who was with her?" McGonagall asked.

"Greyback," Ginny whispered. Slowly her hand raised to her neck and wailed slightly when she felt a rough scratch on her skin. "He attacked me," she choked out before breaking down in tears.

"It's okay, Ginny," McGonagall soothed, sitting down on the bed and pulling Ginny into her arms. While Ginny sobbed into her shoulder, McGonagall glared at Severus. "I think we need to talk to your sister."

"You believe her accusations?" Severus chuckled. "Because I'd bet my life that Hermione never left the castle last night."

"We'll see, won't we," McGonagall replied. "And I also think we need to send for Molly and Arthur. They need to be here."

"Yes, they do," Severus agreed. "And rest assured Minerva, we'll get to the bottom of what happened last night."

Leaving McGonagall to comfort Ginny, Severus headed off to contact the Weasleys. He just hoped Hermione had everything in place, and that Ginny's story would crumble in a heap. With any luck by the end of the day, the blame for her accident would be laid at Ginny's door and the entire wizarding world would think she only had herself to blame for ending up being bitten by a werewolf. After all, Ginny would have been perfectly fine if only she hadn't left the safety of the school grounds in the middle of the night.


	36. Chapter 36

Draco and Hermione were woken by the sound of someone hammering on the door to the head dorms. Following Draco's return to the castle, they'd spent a few hours burning off Draco's excess energy, before they'd drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

"Tell whoever it is to bugger off," Draco grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

Hermione chuckled lightly as she hopped out of bed. Grabbing Draco's shirt she pulled it on and slid into a pair of knickers. She knew it was obvious that she'd just stepped out of Draco's bed, but she really wasn't bothered. It would either be their friends at the door, or her brother with news of Ginny.

Leaving Draco in bed, Hermione headed down to the common room. When she opened the door, Harry entered the room with several Slytherins following him. Hermione wasn't surprised to see Blaise, Theo and Daphne with her nephew, but the presence of Pansy was a surprise. Out of everyone, Pansy was the only one who looked shocked at what Hermione was wearing, and she couldn't help but smirk knowingly at the raven haired Slytherin.

"Isn't it early for a visit?" Hermione questioned.

"It's the middle of the morning, Hermione," Harry replied with a chuckle. "We've been waiting for you and Draco to make an appearance."

"Sorry, we had a long night," Hermione said, smiling smugly and looking anything but sorry.

"Please, no details," Harry begged.

"Okay, I'll not brag about my amazing night of sex," Hermione said. "So what brings the lot of you to our rooms? I'm sure we would have emerged sooner or later."

"We've brought gossip," Daphne said eagerly.

"Juicy gossip," Blaise added with a smirk.

"Spill," Hermione urged, perching on the edge of the sofa.

"It's about Weaselette," Theo announced. "Harry, you know more so you tell the rest."

"Basically there was a big fuss this morning as Ginny was missing from her dorms," Harry explained. "One of her roommates knew she'd left last night, and she still wasn't back this morning."

"I have no real desire to hear about Ginny's midnight frolics," Hermione snorted. "She was most likely with a boy."

"That's what we all thought, but then we heard she was in the hospital wing," Harry said. "No-one can get into the hospital wing, not even the Professors. Dad's busy in there, but even Lucius and Narcissa don't know what's happening."

"And I saw my father earlier," Theo added. "He couldn't stop to talk, but he was heading in the direction of the hospital wing with Professor Snape."

"Why would the Minister of Magic turn up because Ginny is in the hospital wing?" Hermione mused. "Something else must be going on."

"That was our thoughts," Blaise said. "We thought you might fancy getting up in case something happens."

"I'll go and drag Draco out of bed then," Hermione said as she got to her feet.

"No dragging necessary, I'm here," Draco mumbled as he entered the common room, looking half asleep.

Draco had pulled on a pair of dark green pyjama bottoms, before staggering downstairs, and Hermione noticed the way Pansy was unable to tear her eyes away from Draco's bare chest. Not that Hermione could blame her as Draco was looking as sexy as anything, half dressed and half awake.

"So what's the fuss down here?" Draco asked, slouching down on the sofa next to Hermione and throwing his arm over her shoulder.

Harry and the others quickly filled Draco in on the news about Ginny. Like Hermione, he had his act down perfectly and acted as though this was the first he'd heard about Ginny.

"I wonder what the story is," he mused.

"Well we might find out if you and Hermione ever got up," Harry grumbled.

"Sorry, we didn't exactly get much sleep last night," Draco said with a sly grin.

"Enough already," Harry moaned as everyone else laughed at his obvious discomfort.

"We'll go and get dressed," Hermione offered, getting to her feet.

Before Hermione and Draco could even leave the common room, there was a knock on the door. Since Draco was still on the sofa, looking as though he was going to drop back to sleep at any moment, Hermione made her way to the door. When she opened it, she found her brother at the door. Severus took one look at her appearance, before shaking his head and pointedly looking away.

"I need to see you in my office, Hermione," Severus said.

"Do you want me to get dressed first?" Hermione teased.

"Yes," Severus snapped.

"Hold on, why do you want to see me so urgently?" Hermione asked. "From what I've heard, you've got another matter to deal with this morning."

"I do, but this is important," Severus said. "You've got ten minutes, Hermione."

"Okay, do you want to wait?" Hermione asked, swinging open the door even wider so Severus could see the others, who had all been listening intently to what was happening.

"Ah Miss Parkinson, I was looking for you too," Severus said. "Come with Hermione to my office."

"Why?" Pansy cried. "What have I done?"

"I'd rather talk about this in my office," Severus said.

"What's going on, Dad?" Harry asked. "Is this about Ginny?"

"It is," Severus confirmed. "I'm sure Hermione and Pansy will fill you in when they've finished in my office. But for now, Hermione go and get dressed."

"I'll be two minutes," Hermione said as she turned and departed the room.

While Hermione was getting dressed, the others tried to get Severus to give them some gossip, but the headmaster remained quiet. He knew that they would know the full story in a couple of hours, but for now, he was staying tight lipped. He wasn't going to give the Weasleys any ammunition to throw in his direction, not when they'd turned up at Hogwarts in a foul mood and were trying to place the blame on Ginny's accident on Severus and the school.

Once Hermione was finished dressing, she and Pansy accompanied Severus back to his office. Taking advantage of Pansy's obvious worry about what was going on, Hermione managed to check with her brother that he had everything in place for his part of the plan. When they entered Severus's office, they found McGonagall sitting with Molly and Arthur Weasley. Bernard Nott was standing looking out of the window, and as Severus settled the girls down into seats, the Minister of Magic took his seat behind Severus's desk.

"We'll get straight down to it," Nott began. "Miss Weasley is in hospital and she's making some allegations against the pair of you."

"She's what?" Hermione frowned, as beside her Pansy snorted inelegantly and muttered obscenities under her breath. "Just what is she saying?"

"Miss Weasley left school grounds yesterday evening, and she's claiming she was meeting Miss Parkinson," Nott explained.

"No way," Pansy snarled. "I was not meeting that little cow. I was in my dorms last night."

"How dare you insult my daughter," Molly snapped. "She'd told me everything. How you've been approaching her for weeks, trying to bond with her over your mutual hatred of Hermione. You lured her out of the castle."

"This is absurd," Pansy yelled, jumping to her feet. "I've never spoken to her, and I never arranged to meet her last night. I'll take veritiserum if that's what it takes to prove my innocence."

"She's clearly trying to wriggle out of it," Arthur said, turning to the Minister. "You heard what Ginny said. She thought she was meeting the Parkinson girl last night."

"I heard," Nott said with a nod. "I also heard her saying that she was meeting her in a bid to get rid of Miss Granger."

"Get rid of me?" Hermione gasped. "I don't believe that."

"You don't believe the Parkinson girl hates you?" Molly cackled nastily. "I bet there's a lot of people who hate you."

"I'm sure there is," Hermione agreed. "And I know Pansy doesn't like me."

"Hey," Pansy protested.

"But," Hermione continued, ignoring Pansy. "I don't believe she would do what she's been accused of. She might not like me, but she would never plot with Ginny. Her dislike of me is nothing compared to her dislike of Ginny. Besides, Pansy's not a fool. She wouldn't risk her life going against me and my family."

"Of course I wouldn't," Pansy exclaimed. "Only a fool would take on The Dark Lord and his family. I'm not a fool."

"No, but since you didn't turn up last night, you weren't going against The Dark Lord's family. You were working with them," Arthur accused. "The pair of you were working together to set my daughter up."

"Set her up?" Hermione laughed." Set her up for what? I'm sorry, but I don't think we're getting the full picture here." Glaring at the Weasleys, Hermione turned to her brother. "Just what are we being accused of Severus?"

"Last night, Ginny was attacked," Severus explained. "As you've heard, she says she was meeting Pansy. But she says it was you who turned up, and you had a wolf with you."

"A wolf?" Hermione queried.

"Not just any wolf, a werewolf," Arthur spat. "Greyback. You let Greyback bite my daughter."

"Weaselette's been bitten by a werewolf?" Pansy laughed cruelly. "Does that mean she's a werewolf now?"

"It was a full moon last night, so she must be," Hermione replied with a smirk. "Poor little thing, her life is changed irrevocably."

"Don't 'poor little thing' my daughter," Molly snarled, jumping to her feet and lunging for Hermione. "You did this, you evil little bitch."

Hermione watched in amusement as Arthur and McGonagall stopped Molly from attacking her. She didn't for one minute think they were protecting her, but they knew that if Molly attacked her, she was placing herself in danger. Voldemort wouldn't stand for anyone hurting her, and Arthur and McGonagall knew that.

"Enough!" Nott bellowed. "Mrs Weasley, sit down before I have you removed from this office."

"We all know she did this," Molly fumed. "She's ruined my daughter's life."

"I have done no such thing," Hermione protested.

"So you deny being out of the castle last night?" Nott asked.

"Of course I do," Hermione replied. "I was in the head dorms all night, ask Draco if you don't believe me."

"He could vouch for you for the entire night?" Nott asked.

"All night," Hermione answered with a slight smirk. "We spent some time with our friends, then we had a very eventful night. I'm willing to give you my memories to prove what I was doing all night if you want."

"That won't be necessary," Severus said quickly, before speaking directly to the Minister. "When I turned up at the head dorms, she was half dressed in Draco's clothes, and he was also half dressed. It was very clear they'd just tumbled out of bed together."

"I knew we shouldn't have let them share dorms," McGonagall muttered.

"They're both adults, and they haven't neglected their head duties," Severus argued. "But that's not the point right now. We're trying to establish who is telling the truth here."

"It's obvious Ginny is the one telling the truth," Molly seethed. "You've all seen her injuries. She was attacked last night."

"But that doesn't mean we were involved," Hermione argued. "Pansy's already offered to take truth serum and I'm happy for you to look at my memories of last night. We've got nothing to hide. We weren't the ones breaking school rules and leaving the castle in the middle of the night. From where I'm sitting, the only person to blame here is Ginny."

"Don't you dare pin this on my daughter," Arthur warned in a low voice. "We know you're behind this Hermione."

"Prove it," Hermione challenged.

"Miss Granger is right," Nott interrupted. "Before we can accuse her and Miss Parkinson, we need proof. I think we take the two girls up on their offer and use veritiserum and take a look at their memories."

"Can I just make one request?" Hermione asked. She wasn't worried about her memories being viewed as she'd already thought ahead and had a recent encounter in her head inserted in between her real memories of the previous night and that morning. "My memories are rather personal, so I don't want them being flashed around for all to see. I will give one person permission to view them, and one person only."

"Not me," Severus said sharply. "I have no desire to see my sister and godson getting frisky."

"It has to be someone we trust to view the memories," Arthur said. "Minerva, will you look at the memories?"

"Hermione, is that okay with you?" Severus asked.

"If Professor McGonagall can cope with the memories, it's fine by me," Hermione said with a shrug.

"I can cope," McGonagall muttered.

"Now for Miss Parkinson," Nott said. "Do you still consent to be questioned under veritiserum?"

"I do," Pansy said with a nod of her head. "Ask me anything about that lying little Weaselette."

Molly snarled angrily, but she said nothing as preparations got underway to prove if the two seventh years were lying. Severus flooed Narcissa to get some veritiserum from the potions supplies, for Pansy to be questioned, while McGonagall prepared herself for viewing Hermione's memories. Once Severus returned, it was McGonagall's turn, and casting the appropriate spell she delved into Hermione's head and her memories of the previous night.

McGonagall's examination took a few minutes and when she finished she was bright red and wouldn't look Hermione in the eye. Quietly she admitted that Hermione had spent the night in the head dorms, and hadn't left until Severus had gone to get her. Attention then turned to Pansy, but no matter what questions were thrown her way, she refused to admit to being in contact with Ginny. With the veritiserum in her system it was impossible for Pansy to lie, so it was clear to everyone that she hadn't arranged to meet Ginny.

"I really don't think there anything else to say," Severus said. "Hermione and Pansy have proven their innocence. Girls, you can go back to your day."

"Wait," Molly cried, jumping in before Hermione and Pansy even had time to get to their feet. "I'm not having this. These two have been given a chance to prove their side of the story, my daughter deserves the same consideration."

"What do you suggest?" Severus asked. "That we view her memories as well."

"Ginny's in no fit state to have her memories read," Arthur protested. "It's an invasive experience, and I honestly don't think my daughter can cope at the moment."

"How about extracting them and viewing them in a pensieve?" Hermione suggested helpfully.

Molly and Arthur gave Hermione a disbelieving look, not sure why she was so keen to help them get to the truth. However, even though they didn't trust her, they couldn't deny her idea was a good one.

"I think that's the fairest idea," Nott said. "And then we'll have the full story."

"Minerva will you go and get her memories," Molly asked, not trusting anyone else to gather her daughter's memories without tainting them.

McGonagall readily agreed, and she headed off to the hospital wing to gently extract Ginny's memories of the previous night. While she was gone, Severus produced a pensive for viewing the memories from one of his cupboards. However, what the Weasleys didn't know was that he'd coated the pensieve in a potion earlier that morning and the result would be that any memories viewed in it would be distorted and hazy. So even with Ginny's memories, it wasn't going to reveal his sister's involvement in what had happened to her.

While McGonagall was away a discussion took place as to who was going to view the memories. The Weasleys didn't trust anyone else to look at them, but Hermione was adamant she wasn't going to trust their word and she insisted either Severus or the Minister view the memories. In the end it was decided that the Minister and McGonagall would view the memories as Arthur admitted he wasn't sure he could cope with witnessing his daughter being brutally attacked.

When McGonagall finally returned, she poured Ginny's memories into the pensieve and side by side, she and Nott entered the pensieve to view the memories. The wait for them to return was an excruciating one, but finally they emerged. McGonagall instantly turned to Molly and Arthur and gave them a sympathetic look, while Nott looked slightly smug.

"I'm afraid your daughter's memories are no good," Nott told the Weasleys. "They're all hazy and distorted."

"You've done something to her memories," Molly accused, looking between Hermione and Severus.

"We never touched her memories," Hermione shot back. "McGonagall retrieved them, and she and the Minister viewed them. How on earth could we have tampered with them?"

"They weren't tampered with," Nott said firmly. "I've heard of trauma victims having troubles with the memories before. It's not uncommon for someone who has suffered something horrific to produce hazy memories. I think in this case, we have to believe the memories and the testimony we have received. The two girls have proved their innocence, and this is good enough for me."

"Now you can go girls," Severus said, turning back to Hermione and Pansy as he suppressed a smirk at how perfectly Hermione's plan had ran.

"Thank you Severus," Hermione replied with a smile as she got to her feet.

"This isn't the end of this," Molly warned. Despite the disaster with the memories she believed her daughter, and she knew Hermione was responsible for what had happened to Ginny, she just had to find a way to prove it.

Hermione merely smirked at Molly as she turned to leave her brother's office. She knew Severus would now push the blame onto Ginny for leaving school premises, and with any luck Ginny would be forced to leave school. Even if she didn't leave because of the night's events, there was a good chance she would be forced out of school once it was known she was a werewolf. After all, now Pansy knew about the attack, it was only a matter of hours before the rest of the school found out that Ginny had been attacked by a werewolf on a full moon.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N – I just want to start by answering a guest review wanting to know why Hermione went down the route of attacking Ginny and having her turned into a werewolf. I have to admit this question is hard to answer without giving away the contents of a couple of the companion pieces I'm planning involving Ginny.**

 **Very simply – it was the most effective way of ruining her life without having any come back on the dark side. All Ginny knows about being a werewolf is what she was taught, and what she saw from Lupin – so unlike Draco she can't embrace the positives of being a werewolf. As for the future when it is known that Draco is a werewolf, and they hopefully have a lot more rights and more about them is understood – that is a long way off, and by that point Ginny will have been suffering for years and probably unable to take advantage of the changes. And don't forget that the dark aren't just going to let Ginny go wandering off into the night, they'll still be keeping an eye on her and her family, and will be able to step in if they thinks she's becoming a threat again. Hermione's decision is mainly about perception, and how at this moment in time Ginny and the world in general view being a werewolf as the worst possible thing to happen to you. To turn Ginny into a werewolf at this moment in time breaks her completely and cuts the Weasleys off from the rest of the world – and any small stirrings of support they might have been able to muster.**

 **And also lets not forget that as a few reviewers have pointed out – Hermione is pretty cocky by this point. There's a good chance she hasn't thought too far into the future, and is focused on her revenge rather than what might happen in years to come with Draco's condition. Don't forget Hermione is still a teenager, and no matter how smart she is, she is still capable of making choices that aren't necessarily the right ones. Hermione's cockiness could also be the answer to the people wondering why she showed herself before Ginny's attack when it would have been simpler to stay hidden. (Plus it was much more fun to have Ginny know who was behind her attack).**

 **But as I mentioned earlier, I don't want to go too much into details about Ginny here as she's going to be the focus of a couple of the companion pieces, and that's where her story is carried on. I hope this answers questions some people might have, but I just want to make it clear that I don't regret taking the choice to turn Ginny into a werewolf at this point in the story. The alternative was to kill her, but after so many other deaths, (and after years of being annoying) I felt that something more painful was in order for Ginny.**

 **Also, just a reminder that this story is reaching it's conclusion and it'll be finished next Friday. Anything that isn't fully dealt with in the last four chapters (including the results of a conversation that takes place in this one), will be featured in the collection companion series. Basically, I couldn't cover everything or else the series would go on forever and last well into the trio's older lives. I hope people enjoy the end of the series and the collection pieces that will continue to be posted, even when I'm working on other stories.**

* * *

After leaving Severus's office, Hermione invited Pansy back to the head dorms. She knew all their friends would likely still be there, and it seemed mean not to include Pansy. Besides, she had her own story to tell about Ginny and the wild accusations she'd thrown in her direction.

"Granger," Pansy called, stopping Hermione just as she was about to say the password to the head dorms. "Thank you."

"What for?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"For sticking up for me, and not believing Weasley," Pansy replied. "I know we've never really gotten along, but I appreciate the fact you didn't think the worst of me."

"You're right, we haven't really managed to get along, but I know you well enough to know you're not stupid enough to align yourself with the enemy," Hermione said, wondering if she'd misjudged Pansy and if it was worth giving her a second chance. "Besides, I'd like to think that you hatred of me wasn't strong enough to warrant trying to kill me."

"I don't hate you," Pansy admitted. "Well, not that much," she amended when Hermione gave her a surprised look. "I'm more jealous of you. It's no secret I had a crush on Draco, but then you came along and he was gone. And Theo and Harry haven't exactly jumped at my advances."

"Maybe it was because they both thought you were using them," Hermione suggested gently. "I know Harry felt that way. Until you found out who he was, he didn't exist in your eyes. And it was the same with Theo. Your interest in him started after his father became minister. I mean, did you really like either of them for who they really are?"

"I don't think I did," Pansy confessed with a sheepish shrug. "But I did like Draco for who he really is. And because of that, I never gave you a chance and I'm sorry."

"You're not entirely to blame, Pansy," Hermione conceded with a rueful smile. "I could have held out the hand of friendship, but it was easier for me to hate you and push you out. How about we make a fresh start?"

Hermione held her hand out for Pansy. Pansy looked at it for a couple of seconds before reaching out and taking it in hers. With a firm shake, the past was put behind them and the witches vowed to start afresh. Neither of them were naive enough to believe they would become best friends overnight, but hopefully the animosity that existed between them would go and it would make things a whole lot easier for their friends, who'd often been stuck in the middle of the warring pair.

With a truce made, Hermione led the way into the head dorms. As expected, everyone was waiting for them and they didn't even manage to sit down before they were bombarded with questions.

"Just calm down and we'll tell you everything," Hermione said as she settled onto the sofa next to Draco.

"Don't leave anything out," Blaise urged, obviously eager for the gossip.

"We won't," Hermione vowed. "Last night Ginny left the castle and ended up getting attacked."

"And what does that have to do with you two?" Theo asked.

"Patience, Theodore," Pansy tutted, giving her friend a sharp glare.

"Sorry," Theo muttered as the others laughed at Pansy's rebuke.

"This morning Ginny woke up and she gave her version of events," Hermione continued. "According to her, she was meeting Pansy, but I was the one who showed up."

"Seriously? She expected people to buy that?" Draco snorted. "Why would she be meeting Pansy?"

"That's what we said," Pansy said. "She was trying to claim that I'd been talking to her for weeks, building up a friendship based on our mutual hatred of Hermione. According to her, I tempted her out of the castle with a plan to bring down Hermione once and for all."

"And did you?" Harry asked, playing the part of the concerned nephew to perfection.

"Harry, of course she didn't," Hermione scolded. "Ginny clearly picked Pansy to use as she knew we've never really gotten along. I think we all know it was me she was trying to get into trouble."

"That sounds like that tart," Harry snarled. "Getting herself hurt and then blaming other people."

"Was the attack deliberate?" Daphne asked.

"I never thought of that," Hermione said, wondering if they could plant the seed that Ginny had set up the entire incident to try and cause trouble for the dark. "But it's very possible. Especially with what she's claiming happened."

"What is she claiming?" Blaise asked.

"She was attacked by a werewolf," Pansy announced with glee. "She said the wolf was with Hermione. I mean, does she know nothing about werewolves? Everyone knows they're wild and not pets. Any wolf would have attacked Hermione as well."

"Wow, what a nerve," Draco said with a low whistle. "But I suppose Daph is right, it could be a deliberate attack. They might have used Lupin to attack Weaselette, just to try and make us look bad."

"Yeah, Lupin's been keeping a low profile just lately," Harry added. As far as he knew, no-one knew about Lupin's death, so they might just be able to pass the attack off as being his work. "I'm sure he'd be happy enough to heap some payback on us."

"Ginny's trying to say it was Greyback," Hermione said.

"She's already trying to shift the blame," Blaise said.

"But would the Order really go as far as to attack one of their members?" Daphne questioned. "Especially Ginny as she's just a kid."

"Who's to say she was really attacked?" Draco mused. "She might have just been scratched. Only a bite turns a werewolf."

"They all seemed pretty convinced she was genuinely attacked," Pansy said. "Including Professor Snape. If it's a fake attack, it's a good one."

"If it is genuine, it's all her fault anyway," Hermione said with a shrug. "If she hadn't left school grounds, nothing would have happened to her. And if it's fake, it's backfired spectacularly. She's going to be the one everyone is talking about."

"Yes, she is," Pansy announced with glee as she got to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to spread the word."

"About what?" Daphne asked.

"The fact that Ginny Weasley was bitten by a werewolf," Pansy said. "Fake or real, everyone is about to discover what happened last night. By the time I'm finished with Weasley, no-one will want her in this school. I'm going to run that little cow out of Hogwarts."

"Nice one Pansy," Harry chuckled as the raven haired Slytherin left the head dorms to spread the word.

"By the end of the day, everyone will know what happened," Draco laughed.

"That's what happens when little girls go walking in the middle of the night when it's a full moon," Hermione replied. "You never know what might be lurking in the shadows."

"Or who," Draco said mysteriously. "Does anyone fancy a drink?" He asked, suddenly jumping to his feet.

"Yeah, drinks sound good," Harry said, shooting his friend a puzzled look as he darted into the small kitchen alcove.

"I'll help," Hermione offered, following Draco. When she arrived in the alcove, she found her fiancé leaning against the bench biting his lower lip. "What's wrong?"

"I want to tell them," Draco announced nervously. "I trust every single person in that room, and I'm tired of hiding secrets."

"We don't know how they're going to react, Draco," Hermione warned, taking hold of his hand. "Are you ready for if they react badly? They might need some time to come round."

"I've thought about what could happen," Draco admitted. "I've been thinking about it all morning. It's what I want to do, Hermione."

"Then I'll be right there at your side," Hermione promised, giving her boyfriend a kiss. "You never know, I might even tell you what I was thinking about last night."

"In front of everyone, won't Harry get embarrassed?" Draco joked.

"Ha, ha," Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. "Not every thought in my head about you is sexual."

"Shame, because most of mine about you are," Draco replied with a smirk. "But seriously, what were you thinking about?"

"Our situation," Hermione said. "How would you fancy a playmate on a full moon?"

"If you're going to suggest what I think you are then the answer is no," Draco growled, slamming his hand down on the bench behind him. "I won't turn you."

"I didn't mean that," Hermione replied, just as Harry poked his head into the alcove.

"Is there a problem?" He asked, fully entering the small alcove.

"No, Draco just got the wrong end of the stick," Hermione replied. "I didn't mean I wanted you to turn me," she informed her fiancé. "I was thinking about becoming an animagus."

"Cool," Harry gasped. "Count me in."

"What? The pair of you would learn to turn into animals, just to keep me company once a month?" Draco asked, looking between his fiancée and best friend in genuine shock.

"I would," Hermione said. "To be honest, I can't believe I didn't think about it before. I guess I've just been so caught up with thinking about our plans for Ginny. But last night as I was watching you, I wished I could join you, and then I remembered something Harry had once told me that Sirius had told him."

"How Sirius, Potter and Pettigrew became animagi for Lupin," Harry said, recalling the story Sirius had once told him when he was trying to bond with him. "Well, I would do the same for you, Draco. I just hope I don't end up being something pathetic."

"I don't think you have any control over what you become," Hermione said. "But I'm not sure, I need to do some research."

"Of course you do," Harry chuckled, sharing an amused look with Draco over Hermione's obvious excitement at the prospect of research.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" Blaise suddenly called, interrupting the trio.

"Let's get back to it," Draco said. "We can discuss the animagus thing later. Right now, I have an announcement to make."

"Announcement?" Harry questioned.

"I'm coming out," Draco said, heading back into the common room.

"Now that could be taken a lot of different ways," Harry chuckled to Hermione.

"Idiot," Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes as she lightly hit her nephew and followed Draco into the common room.

"Where's the drinks?" Theo asked as Hermione and Harry followed Draco out of the kitchen alcove with no drinks.

"They can wait," Draco said. "I've got something to say."

"Don't tell me, you've knocked up Hermione," Blaise said with a laugh.

"Not that I know of," Hermione replied with a grin.

"I'm going to tell you all the truth about what happened to Weaselette last night," Draco said as Hermione stood at his side and slipped her hand into his.

"So you were involved," Blaise said, turning to Hermione.

"Guilty," Hermione admitted with a smirk. "But for the record, Pansy wasn't involved. I used polyjuice potion to get Ginny onside, and when the time was right, I lured her out of the castle."

"Why?" Theo asked.

"So she could meet me," Draco answered with a vicious smirk. "Or rather, so she could meet the new side of me. The wolf with Hermione wasn't Greyback, it was me."

There was a stunned pause at Draco's announcement, and Draco, Hermione and Harry used the opportunity to study their friends and watch their reactions. Thankfully, no-one seemed disgusted or repulsed by Draco, they all just seemed shocked and unable to believe what they were hearing.

"I guess you want to know the full story," Draco said, breaking the silence.

"That would be good," Blaise said, the shock still evident in his voice. "I admit, I'm rather stunned here."

"I know that feeling," Draco said with a low chuckle as he and Hermione sat down on the sofa. "Now let's go back to the beginning, and I'll tell you everything."

For the next half hour Draco told his entire story with the help of Hermione and Harry. He started in the summer, and the attack from Lupin, right up to what had happened the previous evening. He explained all the differences about their perceptions of werewolves and the reality, and what being a werewolf really meant for him.

"Wow," Theo said with a low whistle. "You make it sound so cool."

"It is now, but it wasn't when it first happened," Draco admitted. "It's not always easy, and it's not something I would want you all to experience, but I wouldn't change it now. Being a wolf is part of who I am, and since you're my closest friends, I want to be honest with you. If you can't accept it, that's fine, but I would ask you to keep my secret. Even if you want to walk away from me, I would hope all the years of friendship would be enough for you to keep quiet."

"No-one is walking away Draco," Daphne stated. "Or at least, I'm not."

"Nor me," Blaise added.

"Or me," Theo said. "The fact you're a werewolf doesn't change who you are."

"You're really not repulsed?" Draco checked, looking between his three friends.

"No mate, I'm rather jealous," Blaise said with a grin. "Do we get to see you in your wolf form?"

"In time," Draco replied, pretty surprised by how easily his friends had taken the news. "I've only just gotten used to having Hermione around me when I'm a wolf, and that's easier because of our connection."

"The hot biting thing," Blaise said, giving Hermione a wolfish grin. "I wouldn't mind a bit of that."

"You mean the mating principal," Draco corrected his friend. "And yes, it's easier because of that. I'm no risk to Hermione because I love her. I would kill anyone who put her in danger."

"No change there then," Theo snorted. "We all know you would kill for her now, let alone when you're a wolf."

"Romantic, isn't it?" Hermione joked, grinning at Draco.

"It is actually," Daphne said.

"So when will we see you in wolf form?" Theo asked, returning the conversation back to Blaise's question.

"I'm not sure," Draco admitted. "But I promise you, you will get to see my inner wolf."

"Actually, Hermione and I have an idea," Harry said. "We're thinking about becoming animagi to spend time with Draco in his wolf form. Is anyone else interested?"

"It could be cool," Blaise said. "How much work is involved?"

"I'm not sure yet, I haven't started my research yet," Hermione said. "But I'll let you know when I have more details."

"Excellent," Theo said with a grin as he turned back to Draco. "Now tell us more about being a wolf."

Draco smiled as his friends returned his attention to him, all eager to learn more about his life as a wolf. He was relieved that things had gone pretty smoothly with filling his friends in on his big secret. It was certainly a weight off his shoulders now his friends knew the truth. Now they could move on with no secrets between them, and see what the future held.


	38. Chapter 38

Ginny lay curled up in her bed, staring blankly at the bedroom wall. It hadn't even been a week since her attack, and already Ginny was beginning to feel isolated and unwanted in the wizarding world. She wasn't wanted at school, hence the reason she was back at home, and she wasn't even sure how much she was wanted at home. Of course her parents had never once indicated they loved her any less now she'd been attacked by a werewolf, but she under no illusions how tough life was going to be for the Weasleys from now on.

It hadn't taken long for Ginny to realise that despite the fact she was the one who'd been attacked, she wasn't being viewed as a victim. Within hours of her explaining how Pansy and Hermione had set her up, the pair had managed to wriggle off the hook. Pansy was denying ever haven spoken to Ginny in anything that might resemble the way Ginny described, and she backed her claims up by using veritiserum. As for Hermione, she'd provided so called proof that she hadn't left the castle the evening of Ginny's attack. Of course it hadn't helped that Ginny's own memories had been useless, and even though the Weasleys remained adamant that they'd been tampered with in some way they had no way of proving it. Even McGonagall who was firmly on the Weasleys side, admitted that Hermione's alibi was unshakable, and she couldn't see a way the dark could have messed with Ginny's memories.

Molly and Arthur had been fuming at the way Hermione and Pansy had wriggled out of trouble, and they'd been even angrier when both Severus Snape and Bernard Nott began to place the blame at Ginny's door. No matter how much the Weasleys argued that Ginny had been lured into a trap, the Headmaster and Minister were insistent that it all could have been avoided if Ginny had remained in the castle. She was the one who left the safety of the castle, therefore she was responsible for the predicament she'd ended up in.

As if it wasn't bad enough that she'd been attacked and then been blamed for the attack, word began to spread around Hogwarts that Ginny had been attacked by a werewolf. The same day as Ginny was found, everyone in the castle knew about her attack and there was outrage among the students. At the time Ginny had been safely ensconced in the hospital wing, but she could remember the outrage when Lupin was revealed to be a werewolf, and she was relieved to be away from the gossips.

The Weasleys had hoped the gossip would die down while Ginny was recuperating in the hospital wing, but they'd had no such luck. Once the students knew Ginny had been attacked, a lot of them had wrote to their parents and angry owls started bombarding the school and Ministry, demanding her removal. Molly and Arthur had fought to keep Ginny at Hogwarts, as they didn't want the dark to win, but in the end even they had to admit that it was in Ginny's best interests to leave Hogwarts. Following her attack she had a target on her back, and Ginny and her parents could imagine the abuse she would have received if she's remained at Hogwarts. Still, it had been annoying that she'd been forced to leave and the Weasleys felt as though they'd been defeated in some way.

Ginny's attack hadn't even managed to stay private as the papers quickly picked up the story, more than likely with the aid of a tip off from someone on the dark, and just over twenty four hours after her attack, the first stories about Ginny began to appear in the papers. At the time it hadn't been known for sure that Ginny had been attacked by a werewolf, or if she'd even been turned, but the implications had been pretty blatant in the papers. And then when the test results did come back a few days later, the papers somehow managed to get their hands on the results and they published the news that early tests indicated that Ginny was infected with the lycanthropy gene.

Not one of the reports in the papers were sympathetic towards Ginny, and a lot of them took the view of the Ministry and Hogwarts that she'd brought the attack on herself. A lot of the reports were only too happy to point out that Ginny had been stupid enough to leave the safety on the castle on a full moon, and furthermore her attack had taken place outside of the school grounds. What little sympathy Ginny might have received had been snatched away as the papers continuously reported how careless she'd been.

Not that Ginny's carelessness were the only accusations the press threw at the Weasleys. One of the reporters had latched onto the fact Ginny was blaming Hermione for orchestrating her attack, and they claimed the entire attack was a ruse by the Weasleys to try and turn people against The Dark Lord and his family. The reporter suggested that the Weasleys had arranged the attack themselves with the help of Remus Lupin, and they'd willingly sacrificed their daughter in the hopes of finally gaining some support in the wizarding world.

Of course the claims were total fantasy, but that didn't stop people believing them. Especially when Fenrir Greyback had been proved to be out of the country at the time of the full moon and Remus was unaccounted for. It didn't matter to people that the Weasleys hadn't seen Remus for over a year, in fact Ginny didn't even know if Remus was still alive as Bill and Charlie had been incarcerated before they'd been able to finish tracking him down. The family still had a connection to a known werewolf, and the people they were accusing of being behind Ginny's attack had cast iron alibis. It was only too easy for the press to convince people that the entire attack had been down to the Weasleys and they only had themselves to blame that it had backfired so spectacularly, and now their only daughter was a werewolf and an outcast.

With everyone turning against them, Ginny and the Weasleys knew that even if they could produce untainted memories of the night of her attack that it would do her no good. By now everyone believed the dark's version of events and even memories of the evening in question would no doubt be claimed to be forgeries on the Weasleys part. After all, it had been mentioned several times in the papers that Ginny had been unable to back her accusations up since her memories had proved hazy of the night in question. Somehow the dark had turned a brutal attack by them, into a way of discrediting the Weasleys and ending any resistance they may have still had in them.

Thinking about what had happened over the past week did little to settle Ginny, so hauling herself to her feet she quietly left her bedroom. Thanks to her improved hearing she didn't even had to go down a whole flight of stairs before she could hear the voices of her family coming from the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, she heard her name mentioned and she knew they were discussing what had happened and what they were going to do next, a conversation they'd had numerous times since her attack. Sitting down on the stairs, out of sight of her parents and remaining three free brothers, Ginny listened to what they were saying.

"Fighting it is mad," Percy spat. "Yes, it's unfair that Ginny's been forced out of school, but we all know it's for the best."

"How can it be for the best?" Arthur countered. "If we let this stand, we're isolating Ginny ourselves. We need to prove she's no threat to anyone."

"How?" Percy asked. "Everyone knows werewolves are vicious and dangerous."

"Remus was never dangerous," Molly argued. "If only he were here, he could help us. He could help us prove to the world that Ginny doesn't deserve to be ostracised."

"But he's not here," Percy argued. "And he hasn't responded to any of the letters you've written to him. Let's face it, Remus Lupin does not want to help us. He wasn't even able to help himself, was he? He's never fitted into society, and he was only too happy to be ran out of Hogwarts when the truth about him emerged. I don't think he's any sort of role model for Ginny."

"Then who do you suggest? Greyback?" Fred questioned, or at lease Ginny thought it was Fred, she couldn't be sure without actually seeing her brothers. "Remus is the only werewolf we know. It's either seek help from him, or go it alone."

"Fred's right," George said. "Remus is the only person who might be able to help. We just have to find him."

"Why? I've just said, he clearly doesn't want to help," Percy snarled. "He went to ground after what happened at Order headquarters, and he hasn't been in touch since. His best friend was sent back to Azkaban, and yet he remained hidden. He's only interested in himself, and counting on him to help us is foolish."

"If we forget about Remus, what else do we have?" Molly asked in a quiet voice. She had moments where her old spark and anger were evident, but after everything she'd been through they didn't last, and she was lapsing into despondency following Ginny's attack.

"Nothing," Percy replied. "I think we all need to face facts. Ginny's life, and by extension ours, has changed irrevocably. We can never change the fact she's a werewolf, and we can't get people to accept her. People are understandably afraid of werewolves, and whether we like it or not, Ginny will be shunned, and as her family we're also likely to be shunned with her."

"You sound like you would rather walk away from her," Fred accused, voicing the thoughts Ginny herself was having listening to her older brother.

"I would," Percy replied bluntly. "It terrifies me that my little sister is a werewolf. I would love to run away and pretend it's not happening, but I can't. The whole world knows about Ginny's condition so there's no escaping it. I will always be the wizard with a werewolf for a sister, and we'll always be the family with a werewolf as a part of it."

"You make it sound like her life is over," Molly said in a watery voice, and Ginny could tell her mother was on the verge of tears.

"Her normal life is," Percy replied. "Things are never going to be the same for Ginny, and the sooner we accept it the better. We can't make things any better, all we can do is deal with the mess we've been left in."

"And forget about the fact Ginny was attacked?" Arthur asked. He hadn't been up for fighting earlier, but he was sick of his family being torn apart.

"How much more do you want to lose, Dad?" Percy questioned. "Ron's gone, Bill and Charlie will never get out of Azkaban, and now Ginny is a bloody werewolf. But if you want to get yourself killed, by all means continue with a fight you'll never win."

Sitting on the stairs, Ginny thought about how a few weeks earlier she would have charged down into the kitchen and challenged Percy and his attitude. However, after what had happened she didn't have any fight left in her. It killed her to admit it, but the dark had won. They'd crushed her spirit and she didn't see any point in fighting anymore. After all, what was the point in fighting, when she didn't have anything to live for? Her life had been ruined, and Ginny just didn't see a future for herself as a werewolf. The only people she could see relishing being a werewolf were monsters like Greyback, and Ginny wasn't a monster. She didn't want to be a killer, and she knew she would spend the rest of her life, however long that might be, making sure she didn't hurt her family.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Ginny being run out of Hogwarts was met with utter glee from Hermione, Harry and the Slytherins. Pansy had done her job of spreading the news about Ginny superbly, and it wasn't a big surprise that the students and parents had rallied against her and gotten her removed from the school. Then to add to the Weasleys trauma, the press had latched onto the story and Ginny was absolutely crucified. The Weasleys were on the way out, and any potential rebellion they might have mustered had been well and truly ended. They were on their way to being the outcasts of the wizarding world, and Hermione felt as though it was nothing less than what the family deserved.

A week after Ginny's attack, Hermione returned to the head dorms in high spirits. However, her mood dampened when she found Draco sitting on the sofa, staring into the flickering fire. Draco had been just as elated as everyone else following Ginny's departure, but Hermione had noticed that over the last couple of days he'd started to withdraw into himself and he'd been quieter than normal.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, throwing her book bag onto the floor and joining her boyfriend on the sofa. "And don't say nothing, because I'm not stupid. Something is bothering you."

"It is," Draco confirmed, although he didn't elaborate any further.

"And do I have to prise it out of you by force?" Hermione questioned.

"It's all this stuff with Ginny," Draco conceded with a sigh as he turned to face his girlfriend.

"You regret what we did to her?"

Draco shook his head. "No. Your plan worked perfectly. Not only is she out of our hair, but her entire family is tainted and being shunned."

"So what's the problem?" Hermione asked.

"I guess seeing the strong reaction against her is just making me realise I can never go public with being a werewolf," Draco said. "I suppose part of me thought that this could be an opportunity to educate people. To show people that being a werewolf isn't this big disaster they think it is."

"But if we try and do that now not only will people put two and two together and realise you were the wolf that attacked Ginny, but it could improve her life," Hermione said softly. "At the moment she's ruined, but if we try and change things for werewolves, we could inadvertently improve her life."

"Exactly," Draco said with a wry smile.

"Do you want to try and change people's perceptions of werewolves?" Hermione asked. "Because if you do, I'm sure we can find another way to keep Ginny down."

"No, let's leave Ginny as she is," Draco said. "I guess it just might have been nice in the future to not have to hide part of who I am."

"In the future we can do something to change people's perceptions on werewolves," Hermione insisted. "But look on the bright side, right now everyone who matters to you, knows your secret and accepts it. You're not hiding from the people who truly matter. And in the future, we can deal with Ginny and change how people think about werewolves."

"I guess you're right," Draco said with a smile as he slid his arm around Hermione and pulled her into his side. It wasn't as if he was ready to tell the world about him right now, so they had years to really think about how best to deal with Ginny once he was ready to go public with his secret. "Everyone I love knows that I'm a wolf, and they all accept it."

"They do," Hermione replied. "And speaking of accepting it, I've started my research into becoming an animagus."

"And?"

"It's not going to be easy," Hermione said. "But I can't see any reason why we can't all do it. Although I think with exams, it might not be before we leave school."

"I can manage a few more months on my own," Draco said with a shrug.

"I do have one bit of news though," Hermione offered. "I can't be certain, but I think there's a good chance when I transform, I'll be a wolf."

"How?" Draco asked.

"You can't pick what animal you turn into, the magic involved picks the most suitable animal for the individual person," Hermione explained. "A lot of the time a person's animagus form is some sort of reflection on themselves. Take Sirius for example, he was a literal representation of his name."

"Sirius – the dog star," Draco chuckled, surprised he'd never made the connection before.

"Exactly," Hermione said. "And since my soul mate is a wolf, I think there's a strong chance I'll also be a wolf."

"But it's not guaranteed?" Draco checked.

"No," Hermione replied. "But we can hope, can't we? Wouldn't it be cool if I was a wolf like you, and we could spend the full moon together?"

"It would," Draco agreed with a smile. "But let's just wait and see what happens."

Hermione agreed with her boyfriend, knowing that they would just have to wait and see. From what she'd read, she was confident she would end up being a wolf, but she didn't want to count her chickens. They would just have to wait and see what happened when Hermione and the others finally mastered the art of turning into animals and becoming animagi.

* * *

 **A/N - That's the last we'll see of Ginny in this year, but her story will be continued in the collection pieces. We'll also not be getting to Hermione and the group turning into animagus's in this year, but again they will be featured in the collection piece as well. As you can see, I've made a decision on what Hermione will be, but I would love some suggestions for the others.**


	39. Chapter 39

Following the drama of Ginny's 'accident', her subsequent departure from Hogwarts, and Draco's confession to his friends, things settled down at school. Hermione had been braced for potential come back from some students who might have believed Ginny's claims about her accident, but none arrived. Between the articles in the papers, and the way the Weasleys had behaved recently, their credibility was gone, and very few tears were shed for Ginny and the situation she found herself in.

With Ginny and the Weasleys dealt with, and out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Hermione's attention refocused on exams and planning for the future. In the midst of studying for her exams, Hermione spoke to Luna about taking up a teaching position once she left Hogwarts. With Blaise's future looking set to be tied up in The Three Broomsticks and Hogsmeade, Luna was receptive to the idea and she loved Hermione's suggestion that she focused on Care of Magical Creatures as her specialise subject. By the end of the conversation, Hermione was satisfied that Luna would join the staff at Hogwarts once she'd finished her education the following year.

As well as Luna agreeing to seriously think about joining her staff, Hermione received some good news from Theo and Padma when the couple approached her and informed her that they wanted to take up her offer to join the staff. Theo had settled on Charms as the area he wanted to focus on, while Padma had opted for Transfiguration. Padma had even suggested that Hermione should talk to her sister, Parvati, about joining the staff in the Divination department. Given the fact Hermione had never really gotten along with Parvati, she was wary about approaching Padma's twin, but when she did, she found Parvati was keen on joining the staff and she was more than happy to put the past behind them and start afresh.

"Now we've just got exams to get through," Hermione told Draco as she filled him in on all the progress she was making with the new staffing arrangements.

"There's no problem there, you'll walk through the exams. You always do," Draco replied.

"I have in the past, but things have been pretty hectic this year," Hermione argued. "I haven't studied as much as I would normally have done."

"And you'll still walk the exams," Draco reiterated. "It doesn't matter if you've studied or not, you know this stuff like the back of your hand. Besides, what do your exam results mean anyway? You've got the future sorted."

"It matters because I need to show everyone I'm qualified to run a school," Hermione said. "I can't just start throwing my weight around at Hogwarts and re-organising the education system without having some sort of credentials. I need to ace these exams to prove to people I can handle the task in front of me."

"Do you really think anyone would protest about what you want to do?" Draco questioned. "Firstly, who would dare go up against The Dark Lord's family, especially with everything that's happened to the Weasleys? And secondly, why would anyone protest to what you're planning on doing? All you want to do is make the education system better, and help the younger generation."

"Maybe I need to hire you as my cheerleader," Hermione laughed. "You can sing my praises to the wizarding world."

"You don't need me," Draco said, smiling at his fiancée as he pulled her into his arms. "Anyone with half a brain will see you're just improving our world. And anyone who can't see that, isn't worth bothering with. Besides, you can always get Harry to shut them up once he's Minister of Magic. With the pair of you in charge, no-one would dare stand against the changes that are coming."

"Let's hope so," Hermione replied. "But just in case, let's get back to the studying. The first exam is next week and we need to prepare."

"As you wish," Draco said with a sigh, as he let Hermione leave his embrace and grab her books. Hopefully after a few hours studying she would be up for a bit of relaxation, but he knew that right now he wouldn't be able to get her to leave her books until she'd managed at least a couple of hours studying.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

After nearly two weeks of both practical and written exams, the seventh years reached the end of their N.E.W.T.S. However, there was still a couple of weeks before the end of the year, and there was one final set of quidditch matches to be played to decide the winner of the quidditch cup. To no-one's surprise the two teams contesting the cup were Gryffindor and Slytherin, and they were due to play the final match of the season.

On the afternoon of the match, the students and staff gathered in the quidditch stands to watch the match. Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were out in force, hoping that it would be the last year that their teams were out of the running before the end of the season. Hermione had heard more than one of the younger students hoping that things would be different once Harry and Draco left Hogwarts and the two houses had to rebuild the heart of their teams. However, for now the two wizards were both playing as captain and seeker, and the entire school wanted to see who would emerge triumphant one final time.

While everyone flooded into the stands, Hermione had to decide where to sit to watch the match. Most of her friends were sitting in the Slytherin stands, but she was still a Gryffindor and still had friends among the lions. Plus, she wasn't quite sure where her loyalties lay in regards of who she wanted to win. She wanted both Harry and Draco to leave Hogwarts as champions, but she knew that couldn't happen. Either her nephew or her fiancé were going to come away disappointed, and she really didn't know which one she would prefer to be victorious.

"Damn those two," Hermione muttered as she headed into the Gryffindor stands for one final time.

Hermione settled down at the front of the box next to Neville, although when he asked her who she was supporting she had no idea what to say.

"It must be hard," Neville said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I'm lucky that all my loyalties lie with Gryffindor."

"I could always trying staying neutral," Hermione suggested.

"You could," Neville agreed with a nod. "Or you could wait until the game starts, and see which team you find yourself cheering for."

Five minutes later, Neville's prediction about how to sort out who she was supporting came true as she rose to her feet in amongst the sea of red and gold to cheer for a Slytherin goal. It would seem she'd chosen her side subconsciously and her fiancé had trumped her nephew.

"I think I might get lynched," Hermione whispered to Neville as she cheered for another Slytherin goal while the rest of the Gryffindors groaned.

"Maybe you should have switched seats with Daphne Greengrass," Neville said. "I passed her earlier and she was wearing a Gryffindor scarf. Although I have to say, she's brave wearing our colours among the snakes."

"Now I don't feel so bad cheering for Draco," Hermione replied. "At least Harry has some support."

"Yeah, he does," Neville agreed, rising to his feet as Gryffindor scored. "Go Gryffindor!"

For the next hour, Hermione and Neville chatted happily as they watched the match and cheered for the two teams. During that time, Draco and Harry played very little part in the match and there was very little excitement from the two seekers. For the time being, the match was all about the goals the chasers could score, and Harry and Draco were mere spectators as they searched for the elusive snitch.

"Are you sure they released the snitch?" Neville asked as another half hour passed.

"Maybe it flew off," Hermione suggested with a laugh. "I haven't seen it at all since this match started."

"Neither have Harry or Malfoy," Neville said.

Fortunately the snitch did eventually put in an appearance, and both Draco and Harry spotted it at the same time. Once they had the snitch in their sights neither wizard was letting it go and they set off chasing it around the stadium. Once the crowds realised the two seekers were on the tail of the snitch, all the attention was on them as they raced around the stadium, flying neck and neck.

"This is going to be close," Neville cried over the roar of the cheering crowd.

"Very," Hermione agreed. She'd always known Draco and Harry had roughly the same ability on a broom, and this match was just proving how closely matched they were.

Neville's prediction was once again accurate as Draco and Harry jostled for prime position to catch the snitch. As the pair flew towards the ground they both lunged for the snitch, and subsequently tumbled off their brooms. Fortunately they were close to the ground and neither sustained any major injuries as they tumbled to the lush green grass.

"Have they got it?" Neville asked as he and Hermione peered over the edge of the stand.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, more concerned with any potential injuries her fiancé and nephew might have sustained.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as both Draco and Harry began to disentangle themselves from the pile they were lying in. While Hermione was checking out the pair for injuries, everyone else wanted to see if either of them had caught the snitch. From the looks of confusion on the two seekers faces, they weren't sure if they'd caught it either. Hermione watched as they exchanged glances, before they both reached out hands that were held tightly around something, or at least one of them had their hand around something, the other one was merely holding fresh air. Simultaneously they opened their hands and the snitch was revealed nestled on one of their palms.

"Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch," the match announcer called. "Slytherin win."

Hermione clapped and cheered at the win, although her heart went out to Harry. It really had been the closest of games, and it was just unfortunate that someone had to lose. It could easily have been Draco who lost, and Hermione was pleased to see her fiancé consoling Harry rather than rubbing the win in his face. Hermione watched the pair, as Harry clapped Draco on the shoulder and urged him to celebrate with his team.

Draco remounted his broom, and flew off to join the rest of the team as they celebrated in the air. He remained with the team for a few minutes before he turned in the direction of the Gryffindor stand and skidded to a halt in front of where Hermione was standing with Neville.

"Fancy a quick ride?" he asked with a wide grin, extending his hand for Hermione.

"I don't fly," Hermione countered.

"Come on, Hermione," Draco urged. "Just one quick lap of victory, and I'll have you safely on the ground again."

Hermione was unable to resist Draco when he was in such an exuberant mood, so she pushed down her nerves and carefully allowed him to help her onto his broom. Once she was seated behind him, clinging on for dear life, he took off around the pitch. They quickly joined by the other Slytherins and the team soared around the stadium, basking in the cheers of their housemates, before returning to earth.

"Don't forget, there's a party in the dungeons tonight," Blaise called as he headed towards the changing rooms with the rest of the team. "No private partying, Draco. We expect out captain to be there."

"What do you think?" Draco asked, helping Hermione off the broom. "Do you fancy attending a Slytherin party?"

"It sounds good to me," Hermione replied. "Will Harry be there with Daphne?"

"I'm guessing so," Draco said. "Unless he can't stomach a winner's party."

"I'll see if I can find out while you're getting changed," Hermione said, looking around to see if she could see her nephew or his girlfriend.

"And here was me thinking you liked me in my quidditch gear," Draco said, drawing Hermione's attention back towards him. "I was hoping you would help me get out of it."

"In the changing rooms with the rest of the team?" Hermione questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"I was thinking more like our dorms," Draco replied. "The party won't get going for an hour or so."

"Come on then, let's go," Hermione said, grinning at her fiancé and grabbing hold of his hand.

On the way they spotted Daphne, and after confirming that Harry would be at the party, they promised to see them both down in the dungeons. However, before they partied they had their own private celebration to get to – one which involved a lot less clothes and a lot more heated action.


	40. Chapter 40

Hermione walked along a deserted corridor on the seventh floor, pausing to look out of one of the big windows. Below her lay the stunning grounds of Hogwarts, and Hermione felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she contemplated leaving the school for the final time that day. Of course she would be back as she overhauled the school systems, but it was the end of an era and Hermione was feeling sentimental. Her school days were now over, and she was about to venture into the adult world.

After the end of exams, and the excitement of Slytherin winning the quidditch cup, the last few weeks had been quiet and relaxing. The seventh years had made the most of their last few weeks at school, basking in the laid back lessons and freedom that had come with finishing their exams. Hermione had taken the chance to spend her time with her friends, even though she already knew she would see them all regularly once they left school.

Over the last couple of weeks, Hermione had heard Harry and Daphne talking about moving in together, and she was wondering about broaching the subject with Draco. With everything that had been going on, Hermione and Draco hadn't really spoken about the future, but it had been on Hermione's mind a lot lately. Not only did she want to focus on becoming an Animagi, but she wanted to focus on her relationship with Draco and their upcoming wedding.

Gazing out over the grounds she would soon be saying goodbye to, Hermione let her mind drift to the wedding she'd yet to start planning. However, she didn't have much of a chance to think about what sort of wedding she wanted before she became aware of someone approaching. Turning round, she sighed as Professor McGonagall rounded the corner, her face distorting into a grimace as she spotted Hermione.

"What are you doing, Miss Granger?" McGonagall snapped.

"Looking out of the window," Hermione replied flippantly.

"Why?" McGonagall asked. "Shouldn't you be packing? The train leaves in just over an hour. The carriages are just about to begin leaving for the station."

"As you said, I've got an hour before the train leaves," Hermione said with a shrug. "And my packing is already done. I'm just taking one final look around the castle."

"More like you're looking for more trouble," McGonagall muttered.

"I wasn't aware I'd been looking for any trouble in the first place," Hermione replied, narrowing her eyes at the Transfiguration Professor.

"You've done nothing but look for trouble since the minute you entered this school," McGonagall snorted. "I'm sure the Weasleys would testify to that. You've certainly caused plenty of trouble for that family."

"Anything that happened to the Weasleys they brought on themselves," Hermione snapped. "They chose to cause trouble when there really wasn't any need."

"From where I'm standing there was every need," McGonagall protested. "You can't honestly say you expected people to just sit back and let you and your family take charge of the wizarding world."

"Why not? People were quite happy to let Dumbledore do the same," Hermione retorted.

"Albus did no such thing," McGonagall argued, outraged at the suggestion that the former headmaster was anything like Voldemort and his family.

"Of course he did, he just kept quiet about his true intentions," Hermione countered. "For years, he pretty much ran the wizarding world and had all the power. He might not have been Minister for Magic in name, but Fudge was merely his stooge. He didn't make a move without consulting Dumbledore, and if Dumbledore didn't like something he was planning, he got it stopped. And as for Hogwarts, Dumbledore just did what he liked here before we started to open people's eyes to what he was truly like."

"Albus didn't want power, he wanted to save the world from your father's dictatorship," McGonagall said. "You lot on the other hand are just power hungry."

"Yes, we crave power," Hermione agreed with a nod of her head. "But we've never denied that. We've been upfront in our intentions to take control of the wizarding world. You can't say the same for Dumbledore. He took control on the sly, and most people weren't smart enough to see what was going on under their noses. Anyone who still thinks Dumbledore was a good guy needs their heads testing."

"And anyone who thinks you lot would ever be satisfied with a bit of power is fooling themselves," McGonagall retorted in a low hiss. "Sooner or later the power you have won't be enough and a full scale war will break out. You'll crush anyone who stands in your way, or at least you'll try. But you'll not succeed as long as I've got breath in my body."

"Is that a threat, Professor?" Hermione asked, arching an eyebrow at the older witch.

"No," McGonagall replied with a cold smile. "It's a promise."

Hermione bristled with annoyance as the old Professor turned on her heel and stalked back the way she'd came. Without thinking, Hermione pulled her wand from her pocket and quietly followed after McGonagall. At the end of the corridor was a flight of stone stairs, and just as McGonagall reached the top and was about to descend them, Hermione pointed her wand at the Professor's shoes and muttered a quiet spell. The spell snapped the low heel on McGonagall's shoe, and with a startled cry, the Transfiguration Professor lost her balance and went tumbling down the stairs before she could save herself.

Hermione winced at the noise, and quickly checking she hadn't been seen she moved over to the stairs and peered down them. McGonagall was lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs, although Hermione couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. Not wanting to take any chances, Hermione shot an obliviate curse to remove the conversation they'd just had out of McGonagall's head. She then turned and headed in the opposite direction, leaving McGonagall to whatever fate awaited her.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Half an hour later, Hermione was down at Hogsmeade train station with Draco, Harry and their friends. Other students were streaming onto The Hogwarts Express, but the group were all standing looking up at Hogwarts, thinking back on the last seven years and all that had happened.

"It seems strange doesn't it," Harry remarked. "To be leaving all this behind. So much has happened to us at Hogwarts."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Draco chuckled. "I don't think we ever managed to have a quiet year."

"Quiet is overrated," Hermione said with a shrug. "Personally, I liked the drama."

"It was fun," Harry agreed. "Although, I've preferred things since we've been able to be ourselves."

"Yeah, playing the perfect little muggleborn was tiring," Hermione said.

"You should have been in my shoes," Harry snorted. "I had the tougher job. I had Dumbledore and the Weasleys fawning all over me."

"Luckily they're all gone now," Draco said.

"Technically there are some Weasleys left," Harry pointed out.

"Not with any fight left in them though," Hermione argued. "Some might have survived, but they're all broken."

"Serves them right," Blaise said sharply. "They got everything they deserved."

"Yes, they did," Hermione agreed.

"We should be boarding the train," Daphne said, glancing to where the platform behind them was rapidly becoming deserted as the students boarded the train to go home.

"Let's get going," Harry said, taking one final look up at the castle before he took hold of his girlfriend's hand and led her onto the train.

Hermione and Draco also took a moment to take in the castle one final time, before they joined their friends on the train. Settling in the corner of the compartment, Hermione nestled into Draco as the train began to move.

"This is it," Draco whispered to Hermione as the others began to talk and laugh amongst themselves. "The beginning of the rest of our lives."

"And just how do the rest of our lives look?" Hermione asked, wondering if the time was right to ask Draco about their living arrangements.

"First, we need to decide where we're going to live," Draco answered, almost as if he'd read his fiancée's mind. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to live apart. Not when we've spent the last year virtually living together."

"Do you think we should get our own place, or should I move into the manor?" Hermione asked. "I don't think my house is an option, not unless you want to live with a baby."

"I'd rather not," Draco replied. "I guess the manor could work. Since Mother and Father have agreed to stay on at Hogwarts, they're not at home every night. Although, I do like the idea of having our own place."

"Somewhere in the country," Hermione added. "We're going to need some decent grounds."

"Yes we are," Draco agreed with a chuckle. "But until we find the perfect place, how about you move into my wing of the manor. It's private enough so that my parents won't bother us."

"And when do you want me to move in?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

"Tonight?" Draco suggested, even though he knew it wasn't really viable for them to move so quickly.

"You wish," Hermione laughed. "We might not be able to manage tonight, but we can do it sometime soon."

"The sooner the better," Draco said, sliding his hand up Hermione's thin top. "I don't want to sleep alone."

"Nor do I," Hermione agreed, grinning up at Draco. "Maybe I can sneak over later on."

"I'll hold you to that," Draco said. "I'll be waiting for you tonight."

"Let's hope I come then," Hermione replied.

"You will do if you sneak over," Draco retorted with a saucy wink.

Hermione chuckled at her fiancé, as they turned their attention to the rest of the group and joined in with the conversations their friends were having. For the rest of the journey, Draco and Hermione were content to spend time with their friends and all too soon the train pulled up at King's Cross Station and they disembarked for the last time.

Beth and Voldemort were both waiting for the trio when they disembarked from the train. The couple were standing talking to the Greengrasses and when they approached it was clear that Beth and Voldemort were inviting the family to join them for dinner that evening. Normally first night dinners were for family, which included the Malfoys, and now it would seem the Greengrasses were now going to be considered part of the family.

* * *

 **C.** **O.** **T.** **D.**

* * *

Dinner that evening was held at Malfoy Manor, and the entire family were present, including the two youngest members of the family – Charlotte and Caroline. The Greengrasses had also turned up for dinner, and they were fitting in with the family just fine.

"So here we are," Voldemort said as the entire family settled down to eat. "How was everyone's year?"

"Mine took an interesting turn today," Severus offered. "Shortly after The Hogwarts Express left this morning, Minerva McGonagall was found at the bottom of some stairs. Her heel had snapped, and she'd fallen down the stairs."

"Was she okay?" Hermione questioned.

"Sadly not," Severus replied with a shake of his head. "At her age the fall was too much for her, she died shortly after being found."

"How tragic," Beth remarked, even though her expression said she found the incident anything but tragic.

"Quite," Voldemort said with a slight smirk. "And did everyone else enjoy the rest of their final year?"

"We did," Hermione replied, smirking slightly at the news that McGonagall was no more. "It's going to be nice not having to go back to school. The rest of our lives start now."

"Just as long as you don't think all the hard work is over," Voldemort warned. "I won't deny we wouldn't be in this strong position if it hadn't been for the three of you. You've been invaluable over the last seven years, but the work must continue. We must ensure we keep hold of the power this time."

"We will," Hermione vowed as Harry and Draco made similar vows.

The trio were no longer Children of the Dark, they were adults, and they were going to do everything they could to ensure that the dark kept the power they'd spent the last seven years accumulating. It was their job to ensure that the wizarding world remained in the dark's control for Charlotte, Caroline and any other future Children of the Dark.

 **T** **h** **e** **E** **n** **d** **.**

* * *

 **A/N – I want to say a big thank you for everyone who has supported me through this series. I have to admit when I started writing this series I never envisioned it would be so long. However, I've thoroughly enjoyed writing it and I hope people have enjoyed reading it.**

 **I have no plans on writing another long story in this universe, but I will continue to add to the collection series. Although the collection pieces will now include pieces set after this point in time (Including more on McGonagall's death, Ginny's life as a werewolf and the trio's future work and love life).**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope to see you all next time.**


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